Fire Will Prevail
by TheBookWorm1718
Summary: Rowan is trying to find Aelin and free her from her suffering at the hands of Maeve. Meanwhile, the rest of the court are trying to keep things running smoothly without their queen. Will they find Aelin or will Maeve and Erawan destroy everything they have been fighting for? This story picks up after the events at the end of Empire of Srorms.
1. The Clue

**This is one of my first FanFictions, so I would love some feedback. I also may or may not continue it depending on what y'all think. Disclaimer: All rights to throne of glass and its characters are owned by the marvelous Sarah J Maas. Enjoy!**

Chapter 1:

 _Aelin:_

She had no idea how long she'd been locked up in the darkness. All she knew was that they hadn't reached Doranelle and whatever hell Maeve intended for her. _Hell._ Honestly, dying sounded better than the pain arching up through her back. After Cairn's whipping, it was nothing more than a bloody slab of meat. Every small twitch of her body sent her crying out in pain.

 _No._ She could survive. She would survive. She was Aelin Ashryver Galathynius. Her flame would not be stifled, and no cage could hold her.

 _Rowan:_

He missed her. Aelin, his wife, his mate, his best friend. It pained him to think of his Fireheart locked away in that iron cage. Especially in the state she was in, so close to her burnout having just received many lashes. They _must_ find her.

He set out on his search five days ago along with Lorcan and Gavriel. That morning, he woke up at the crack of dawn to look for any hints or clues Fenrys may have left behind. Just when he was about to give up and head back to their camp, he caught a glint of metal in the corner of his eye.

"Lorcan, Gavriel, get over here. I found something," Rowan shouted. He waited for them to catch up before slowly approaching the object. A dagger.

As he picked it up, he noticed a note attached to the pommel.

 **I'm trying to get her out.**

 **We're camped in Oakwald**

 **Forest outside of Endovier.**

 **—F**

They gathered all of their supplies and set out for Endovier.

 _Aedion:_

They were traveling back to Tarrasen with the troops Aelin had rallied without their knowledge. He still couldn't believe he had doubted her for even a second.

She was prepared to sacrifice everything for them, for them, yet he had still doubted her. He hadn't even been there when she was captured by Maeve.

He should be out searching for her along with Rowan, Gavriel, and Lorcan, but no he had to help Lysandra organize troops and discuss the uninevatable war with the other leaders.

They were currently in the war room, and Lysandra was trying to explain to them all that had happened and what they had learned about the threat they were facing.

"...so we need to find the third wryd key and defeat Erawen to prevent the valg from destroying out world as we know it," Lysandra explained.

"Let me get this straight," Ilias has a confused look on his face "The valg are back, and we have to go to war against them. Not to mention Erawen, one of the strongest."

"Yes," Aedion intervened "and if it means I'll have to die trying to take him down I will. Even if you don't come with us, I will go out onto that battlefield and defeat the demon who stole my kingdom."

At the same time everyone agreed, "I'm in."

They have their soldiers. Now, they just have to get Aelin back... and pay Maeve a little visit.


	2. The Plan

_Aelin:_

She suddenly heard a loud _screech_. A sliver of light poured in through a crack in the box blinding her.

Was Rowan coming? Had they found her?

A couple of fae males from Maeve's party pocked their heads in. One was tall and lanky with ginger hair. The second and third looked like twins accept one had brown eyes and one had blue.

"Maeve said we can't let the scum die," ginger said with a pointed look at the brown eyed twin.

"Well can we at least have a little fun with her after she gets out of the box," he replied with an odd glint in his eyes.

"Only if you'd like to wake up with no head tomorrow." The brown eyes frowned.

They all lifted her up out of the box and dumped her on the ground. Ginger checked her manacles then dragged her to a tent.

"Make sure she doesn't escape," he told a couple other males as he assigned them to guard her throughout the night.

With that, he shoved her throught the tent.

She was about to doze off when she heard an oddly familiar voice arguing with one of the gaurds.

"I'm only bringing her food, so she doesn't starve. Maeve's orders." What was it about that voice?

"We were told to let no one in no matter what," the guard replied.

"Would you like to be the one to tell Maeve that her prize died on _your_ watch?"

The guard grumbled something under his breath.

"That's what I thought." The person with the familiar voice started entering her tent.

He set the food down in front of her as she looked up. _Fenrys_? In one hand he held a dagger and in the other he held a note. He slowly sat the note down and motioned with one finger for her to turn around.

Slowly, she obliged. He slipped the dagger between her hands making sure she had a good hold on it.

She turned around again opening her mouth to speak only to be shushed by the finger Fenrys held up to his mouth. He motioned to the note.

 **I'm going to make a distraction.**

 **Use the knife to cut out a hole**

 **in the back to escape. You'll know**

 **when.**

He nodded in her direction and quickly left.

 _Rowan:_

They had traveled to Endovier as fast as they could. He would not stop no matter what until they had found her.

Lorcan and Gavriel had finally convinced him that they had to stop and eat. Lorcan was out hunting while Gavriel was building a fire.

Rowan was supposed to be hunting too, but he elected to fly ahead and search for Maeve's camp. He was so close to finding her.

He kept thinking about all the things he would say to her. She pretended he wasn't her mate to save him from the pain of Lyria. She had always been there for him, but he had arrived too late to prevent Maeve from capturing her.

He would follow her to whatever end. He would not let anyone else take her from him. Not Maeve. Not Erawen. Not even death itself.

Just then. He spotted a campfires and tents far in the distance. He would find her.


	3. The Escape

_Aedion:_

Aedion was sitting in one of the rooms in the palace of Terrassen. Everything was coated in layers upon layers of dust.

He could still remember when he and Aelin had ran through these halls. Back then, their worries had been so trivial. _Did we have to be sent off to school? We didn't want to make new friends._ He wished he could go back to those days.

Now they had to rescue Aelin from an ancient fae Queen and defeat demons from another realm. Wow, their lives had gotten so complicated.

He needed to go check on the other leaders and made sure they had proper accommodations. These thoughts could wait for later. When they had shown up with their newfound allies, the remaining lords had welcomed them back with open arms.

He was about to get up when he heard the squeek of the doorknob signaling someone was about to enter his room.

"The knob's rusty. You have to twist it harder," Aedion yelled at whoever was on the other side of the door.

There was a loud twist then Lysandra walked in. Well, Lysandra pretending to be Aelin.

She sat on the bed beside him with an exasperated sigh, "We _need_ to get Aelin back. I don't know how much longer I can keep up this ruse. People are starting to suspect we're hiding something from them."

Aedion turned to face her. "Hopefully you won't have to too much longer. I'm sure Rowan has gotten a lead on her by now. Just hang in there."

"I'll try, but I can never be Aelin. She's so... empowering. She's a natural leader. I can never live up to her, so how am I supposed to pretend to be her?" She looked up. Her eyes were full of anxiety, and she looked so tired.

He was spared from answering her when a message boy opened the door.

"They said this was important and to give it you immediately." The boy looked like he had been running throughout the palace looking for him.

He quickly grabbed the note from his hands and told him he could go. He read he note over and over not believing his own eyes.

He looked up at Lysandra. "We've just received word that Chaol managed to earn us more allies and troops from the Southern Continent. They're heading up towards us now."

 _Aelin:_

She had been waiting in a crouched position ready to cut a hole and run for what felt like an eternity. Could Fenrys be any slower? She heard snoring out side her tent. The fae watching must have fallen asleep while on duty. _Some gaurds they are._

Suddenly those snores turned into screams. She took that as her sign to go. She cut a whole in the back of the tent as best she could with her hands locked in iron manacles.

She stepped through and started running towards the forest. She looked back once to see what Fenrys hade done.

He had set the tents on the opposite side of the camp on fire. Okay now that was one impressive escape. She turned back towards the forest and kept running as best she could, but the pain in her back and the wheight of the manacles were keeping her from sprinting. All she could do was to keep going as fast as she was able and hope not to get caught.

 _Rowan:_

They were currently planning how to best get Aelin out. She could be anywhere in the camp under any amount of protection. He sighed this was going nowhere.

He looked back towards the camp trying to picture Aelin being so close yet so far away from him. That's when he heard the sceaming and saw the tents catch fire. _What was happening?_ He started running towards the camp.

As he got closer he saw a figure stumbling in their direction. He quietly moved forward to get a better look.

He had to blink again. He couldn't believe his eyes. It was Aelin.

He ran faster than he had ever ran towards her. Just before he made it, she passed out. Probably from pain and exhaustion. He scooped her up then ran back to camp.


	4. The Return

_Aelin:_

She opened her eyes only to be blinded by the harsh afternoon light pouring through the trees. She squinted her eyes and tried to get her bearings. _Where was she?_

She lifted up her arms. The manacles were gone. She could feel the power inside her slowly awakening.

Just then, she heard footsteps coming towards her. She tried to get up but was knocked down by a wave of dizziness. _When was the last time she had eaten?_ Back in the tent, she had been too nervous to eat the food Fenrys had brought her. She was sorely regretting it.

Hands came down on her arms to steady her. "Aelin you need to sit down and eat something before you fall over."

She would have recognized that voice anywhere. Slowly, she looked up. It was Rowan. How had they found her? She realized Fenrys must have tipped them off.

"Aelin?" He sounded like he was unsure I was here with him. Just to prove it to him, I motioned for him to sit down and crawled onto his lap. His hands came up around either side of her to hold her closer against him.

She kisssd him like she had never kissed anyone before. Like they were the only two people in the world. Like they were the only lifelines keeping each other from fading into nothingness.

She hadn't loved anyone more than she had in that moment.

Rowan pulled away to look into her eyes. "I love you more than I have loved anything else in this universe and I will keep loving you even when both of us fade into the afterworld."

She looked down into her lap. "Are you mad at me for not telling you about the whole mating bond thing?"

He put a hand under her chin to tilt her head up so that she was looking right into his eyes. "You were sparing me from more pain. I can never be mad at you for that. As for the mating bond, I can not think of anyone I would rather have it with. I love you so much, and I think we both knew the bond was there but never acknowledged it. I plan to spend the wrest of my days making you the most happiest wife and mate in this world."

Tears slowly started dripping down her cheeks. He lifted a finger to brush each away before he said, "You should eat before you pass out again."

"Buzzard."

She picked up a bowl of soup sitting on the ground beside her that Rowan must have made. She had quickly finished the whole thing. It was amazing and did wonders for her dizziness though she'd never tell him.

She heard them before she saw them.

"She's awake," Lorcan said as she turned around.

"Nice to see you too."

"It's nice to have you back," Gavriel chimed in.

She suddenly had a thought. How was she going to come back in style? The gears started turning in her head.

Rowan glanced at her. "Whatever your planning that's going to scare the living daylights out of everyone I'd advise against it."

"What," she said defensively, "who doesn't like a grand enterance?"

There was an audible groan that came out of each of their mouths. Time to come back with a boom.

 _Aedion:_

There was an announcement that they were receiving guests that afternoon. When he asked who they were, the only reply he had gotten was that they had wanted to remain anonymous until they arrived for precaution. He was immediately skeptical, but at this point of time, it would be unwise to turn anyone down.

They had all met in the foyer where the giant doors leading into the palace were located. The visitors should be arriving soon. The other leaders had decided that they should all be present to greet them as a show of goodwill, so here he was walking around and conversing with everyone while they waited. He was about to go make sure Lysandra was prepared when the doors burst open taking everyone by surprise.

"Miss me?"


	5. The Grand Enterance

_Aedion:_

Mass chaos broke out, but all he saw was Aelin standing in that doorway. He and Lysandra both ran and collided with her. They clinged to each other amid the yelling and confusion.

Aelin was the first to break the hug, so she could address their allies. She stood on top of a chair as she put two fingers to her mouth and let out a sharp whistle. All heads turned to her.

 _Aelin:_

"Hello everyone, I would like to introduce you all to a friend of mine," she motioned for Lysandra to come towards her. "Lysandra, you can stop pretending to be me now."

Lysandra shifted. "Thank God! I hate war meetings."

Ansel spoke up, "I for one would like to know what the hell is going on."

Aelin got down from her chair. "I was getting to that. Nice to see you Ansel. Ilias, Galan, I gathered you received my messages. Thank you for coming." She went to embrace them. They hugged her back in confusion.

Rowan having walked in trailed by Lorcan and Gavriel leaned on the rail of the stairwell. "Stop taunting them, Aelin."

She laughed. "Fine, here we go." She launched into the story. "Before you all went to battle against Maeve, Mannon and I went inside a witch mirror to figure out how to defeat Erawen. When we got out, we were deposited on the beach where we found Maeve threatening to kill Elide unless I surrendered. We fought, but I eventually gave up because my magic was depleted. I surrendered in exchange for Elide. She had Cairn whip me until they heard that Rowan was on his way. She then cuffed me with iron manacles, put on an iron mask, and put me in an iron box. A few days ago Fenrys helped me escape, and Rowan found me." Everyone was speechless. "That about sums it up".

Galan still shocked asked, "So you're telling us, this girl Lysandra was pretending to be you the whole time. You were never actually here?"

"Yes" She was trying not to laugh at their faces.

They all just stared at her dumbfounded. "Everyone go get some rest. Tomorrow morning we'll have a meeting to discuss how to move forward, and I will be briefed on new developments in my absence." With that she grabbed Rowan, and they left to find their rooms.

As soon as she had opened the door, she fell on the bed and doubled over in laughter. "I have to say, that was one of my best enterances yet." Rowan just sat on the bed beside her and grinned like an idiot.

She was confused. "What?"

"It's just nice to have you back."

She looked at him desire growing inside her with every breath. "How nice?"

He crawled on top of her pinning her to the bed. He started kissing her neck. She gasped at the sensation. "Pretty nice." He lifted his head to capture his lips. Soon, their clothes were on the floor, and he was kissing her thigh reaching the apex of her legs. When he reached the spot she was urging his mouth to find, he feasted. A moan rose to the back of her throat begging to be released. He slipped his tounge inside of her setting her core on fire. He replaced his tounge with two fingers as he placed kisses up her abdomen reaching her breasts. He placed his mouth over one while rubbing the other. She was going to explode from this feeling. He raised up his head to kiss her, and their tounges performed a dance back and forth. At the first nudge of him she fell into oblivion.

She was getting no sleep tonight.

 ***Hey guys! Thank you to those who have reviewed. I would love to here some more feedback from y'all.**

 **I know I haven't published for a couple days, but I'm trying to write more regularly. It's currently 3:30 am, and I was just needed to write this chapter. There had to be a grand enterance because who doesn't love a grand enterance. I was also compelled to write the intimate scene between Aelin and Rowan. I honestly have no clue why it was just a gut feeling. Let me know what you thought of it. Should I have more Rowan and Aelin fluff or no? I would love to know your opinions.**

 **I also thought about bringing Chaol and Yrene in and mabye some other characters introduced in Tower of Dawn.**

 **—Anna**


	6. The Meeting (07-05 15:14:58)

_Aelin:_

She woke up wrapped in Rowan's arms. Last night was different from other nights. They were finally aware af their mating bond. She couldn't have imagined a better welcome home.

They had to go to the meeting with the other leaders. The others had heard her side of the story. It was about time she was told what all had happened while she was gone.

She tried to move out of the circle of Rowan's arms only to be tugged closer to him. She leaned and nipped his nose only to be growled at. She laughed. "Rowan, we have to go to the meeting. We'll be late."

He opened his eyes and leaned down, so that they were face to face. He pressed his lips to hers releasing a moan. She kissed him back harder opening her mouth to him. He tugged her bottom lip then pulled away.

"You sure you can't stay a little longer," he whispered with desire clouding his eyes.

She looked back at him with equal hunger "I wish I could, but I don't think the other leaders and lords would be happy. Especially Lord Darrow." She got up to grab her clothes and changed. While doing so, Rowans eyes skimmed up and down her naked body hungrily. She rolled her eyes and tossed his clothes to him. "You have to be there too."

She and Rowan walked down the hallway to one of the parlors. They had cleaned it up, and moved furniture in, so that everyone was able to sit. As she walked in, the other leaders nodded, and her lords and court bowed, even Darrow to her surprise.

She walked towards the middle of the room where a large table had been pushed in. Aedion subtly motioned for her to go to the head. She obliged. "What happened while I was gone."

Aedion stepped in to answer her questions, "Right after you were taken, we ran into the silent assassins and Galan's armada," he motioned towards Galan and Ilias, "We then moved north to Terrassen, and now, we're here in Orynth. We met with Darrow, Murtaugh, and Ren who agreed to accept you as Queen with your newfound allies."

"Has there been any contact from Chaol or Mannon and Dorian?"

"Chaol sent word recently that he secured armies from the Southern Continent. He said they were moving north towards us. We have not yet been contacted by Mannon and Dorian, but between his charm and her... persuasion I bet they aren't to far from securing the Crochan witches.

"Good, how long should it take Chaol to get here?"

"He sent the message as he was leaving, so I'd assume only a couple of days away."

"Okay, do you have any ideas as to how we should move from here, Aedion?"

He pulled out a map and pen and sat them on the table. "We're here." He circled Orynth with the pen. "Erawen is here." He circled Morath. "We need to wait until Chaol, Mannon, and Dorian arrive before we plan any more movements."

"Okay I agree. We should wait to make any further plans until they arrive and we know how many men we have." With that, everyone left to go attend to their own business.

They all entered the dinning hall for lunch.

Rowan was sitting to her right, Lysandra to her left, and Aedion across from her. This was some of the best food she'd eaten in a while. When she was with Maeve, she was given moldy bread and this brown substance she'd labeled as grool. Now, she had hot rolls, mash potatoes and ham. It was amazing. She started on the mash potatoes quickly eating then moved on to the ham finishing with the rolls. In no time, her plate was clean, and she sat back with a sigh.

As she looked up at her company, every eye was darting between her and her plate accept Rowan who was shaking his head and grinning at her. Aedion looked at her. "When was the last time you ate?"

"When I was with Maeve I was given moldy bread and this brown stuff. This is the best thing I've ever tasted."

Everyone took that explanation and went back to eating and conversing.

"So Aelin," she looked in Aedion's direction as he continued speaking, "Chaol said something else in his message, but I thought it was meant specifically for you. I didn't tell the others."

"Okay get out with it," she replied.

"Chaol got married to a girl he met on the southern continent."

"I am not some petty schoolgirl, Aedion. I got over Chaol a long time ago. Plus, me and Rowan are mated and married. We'll have to tell him that too."

"That's not what I meant. Chaol got married to a girl that he thinks you've met. She doesn't know you're Aelin Galathynius, so she must have met you as Celaena Sardothien."

"I don't know anyone from the southern continent. I've never been any farther south than the silent assassins' head quarters."

"He said you had saved her life. Anyway, I bet you'll figure it out when they arrive."

"Did he give a name. I would know if I had a name."

"No name."

"Fine."

"So," Aelin turned towards Lysandra, "how have things been going."

"Being you is exhausting. If I were you, I'd just abdicate and go somewhere tropical for the rest of my days."

"I know being me takes a lot of work," she replied with a smirk.

Rowan reached under the table to squeeze her hand, and they launched into a wordless conversation.

 _What?_

He rolled his eyes. _There's the Aelin we all love._

 _Good to be back. I finally have food that doesn't taste like crap._

 _Brat_

 _Buzzard_

Aedion intervened with a disgusted look on his face, "The stench of you two is grossing everyone out. Quit it."

They laughed and went back to normal conversations. She would could never be thankful enough for her family. Even though she may not have much longer if they want to defeat Erawen, she will spend every moment loving, laughing, and just enjoying life with them.

 ***Hey guys. I wanted to thank those who are still reading this mess, and those who have followed, liked, and commented. Ya'll are amazing. ThroneofGlassFanatic, I tried to get Dorian and Mannon into this chapter a little bit, but they'll actually come after I get Chaol and Yrene into the story. Elide will come with them too. Askaja, I've been dying for an Aelin/Yrene reunion too, so no it's not weird (Look our for it in the near future). Michaela, Booknblaur459, and Ashgibson0381, thank you for the supportive comments. I don't think I would've kept going without them. Whoa, that was a lot of thank you's. I hope I didn't miss anyone.**

 **Anyway, I also got some advice from another guest that said my pace was a little too fast, and I should make my chapters longer. If you haven't noticed, I tried to slow my pace, and this chapter is around 1,000 words while my others were about 500-800. I hope this was better**

 **Anyway I thought it would be cool if ya'll got to know something about me.**

 **My name is Anna. I play volleyball. I'm obsessed with books and reading. I have a small dog named Lucie. I live in the United States. (I'm from the south if you couldn't tell by how many times I use "y'all"), and my favorite color is navy blue. I also like to write poetry, and I've posted some about Throne of Glass too (check my account or bio or whatever it's called for that)**

 **Feel free to ask me any questions. I would love to get to know y'all too.**

 **—Anna**


	7. The Southern Continent Arrives

_(A couple of days later)_

Aelin:

The slight wind blew across her face as she sat on her balcony reading a book. She was in complete bliss.

She had been busy in these past couple of days since she had gotten back. Every day, she ran around the grounds and completed a round of workouts. She needed to stay fit if she was to defeat Erawen.

She also had meetings what felt like every hour. It was exhausting, but she was prepared to do anything for her court and her kingdom.

Today, everyone was busy preparing for the arrival of Chaol and the troops from the southern continent, so she finally got some time to herself. She wasn't technically hiding, it was more like she was sitting somewhere, and no one knew where she was.

Anyway, she was perfectly content to just sit there and read all day. Mabye have some chocolate cake brought up... her daydreams were interrupted when she heard Rowan open the door. He walked towards her on the balcony and leaned down to kiss the top of her head.

He sat down in the chair across from her. "Hiding?"

"This is not hiding, this is reading alone on a balcony, and no one knows where I am."

"So _very_ different from hiding."

"Yes." She looked back down at her book. There was a huge love triangle, and she was getting to the good part.

"By the way, Chaol is arriving soon, and we need to meet everyone down in the enterance to welcome them."

"Could he have picked a worse time to come. I was at the good part." She muttered to herself as she walked into her room and out the door. Rowan's fae eats missing nothing heard her. He followed her with a chuckle.

She was perched up on the staircase in front of the main entrance. Why couldn't they come sooner. As the minutes dragged on, she slowly began to wonder if they were ever going to come.

Rowan, sensing her annoyance, reached for her hand trying to comfort her.

Their presence was announced by a sudden screech of the door hinges.

Nesryn walked in hand in hand with another man. Behind them walked another man and woman who looked like siblings along with the man walking with Nesryn.

Aelin walked up to greet them when two more figures appeared at the doorway. Chaol walked in with an arm around another woman's waist. This must be who Aedion has told her about. She looked oddly familiar. Then it struck her.

She spoke up her suspicions, "You're the healer from Innish, Yrene."

Yrene looked at her in recognization. "Celaena?"

She ran up to Aelin to hug her. Aelin returned the hug with equal fervor. She pulled back to smile at Yrene as Chaol walked up. She went up to embrace him too. Yrene stares at them. "How do you two know each other, and why are you here, Celaena? I thought we were meeting Aelin Galathynius."

He explained to her that she was both Celaena and Aelin.

Chaol eventually turned back around to talk to her, "I received word from Aedion about what happened. I'm sorry I couldn't be there."

"It's okay, I'm find now. Plus some good things have happened while you were away. We have a lot to catch-up on."

"Trust me we do," he replied.

Later that day, Aelin, Lysandra, Aedion, Rowan, Nesryn, Chaol, and Yrene met for lunch. They decided to eat outside on the palace grounds.

Aelin leaned her head on Rowan's shoulder as she moaned. She would never get over how good this food was.

Chaol looked at her before she could take another bite of her chicken. "You said you needed to catch us up on what's happened."

"Yes, where do I start," she tried to think of how she could explain what had happened while he was gone, "we met up with Captain Rolfe where we then went to Banjali to find a witch mirror. This mirror gave me information as to how to destroy Erawen."

He looked at her expecting more information. Rowan reached over and squeezed her hand. She took a deep breath and continued. "To banish Erawen and the Valg a heir of Brannon must use up all of their life force to form another lock just like Mala did."

Everyone was silent for a couple of moments. Chaol then spoke up, "Anything else?"

Aedion answered before her trying to make light of the moment, "Aelin and Rowan are married, and they're mates."

Rowan looked at her with such adoration in his eyes, it made her want to explode. Like she was oozing sunlight. She loved him.

Aedion snapped at them, "Are y'all done yet?" He turned to Chaol. "They do this staring thing where they like telepathically communicate by looking at each other. It creeps the heck out of everyone, but you get used to it."

"Well we just got married down in the southern continent." Chaol looked down at Yrene and smiled.

Aelin was beaming. She was here with her mate and her best friends eating food. Amazing food. She was happy for Chaol they had both found love, and Yrene is meant for him. She couldn't have thought of anyone she would've liked better for him.

Chaol raised up his glass. "To new beginnings and many years to come."

Everyone else followed and echoed him. "To new beginnings and many years to come."

If only she could be there to see those years to come.

 ***Hey y'all, it's 3:30 here. I don't understand why I always end up posting at 3:30 *sighs* oh well. Anyway, here is the Aelin/Yrene reunion we all have been waiting for (At least I have). I hope I lived up to expectations. I was so antsy about writing this chapter because I know everyone's been waiting for this, and I didn't want to mess it up for y'all. Please tell me how it was. I'm dying to know.**

 **If you didn't already know, the other people walking in with Nesryn were Sartaq, Kashin, and Hasar. (From ToD) I'm hoping to bring Mannon, Dorian, and Elide in soon. We may have an Elide/Lorcan reunion to look forward to!**

 **As I said in the last chapter: Thank you for continuing to read this crazy mess of a story. I would love to get to know more about the Throne of Glass lovers that keep motivating me to write.**

 **—Anna**


	8. Your Magnanimous Holiness

_Aelin:_

Aelin was currently in a boxed off area outside where she was training with Rowan. Dorian sent word that they had finally rallied the Crochans. He said Mannon could be pretty persuasive.

They could be arriving any day, so Aelin decided to blow off some steam before they got there. With every talk, every meeting, she was preparing and taking steps to her imminent death. Training was an easy way to let her feelings out, and she Rowan were conveniently free for the day.

He sent an ice dagger flying for her head, but she dogged with a quick roll forwards and sent a fire arrow flying right back at him.

They went on like that for a while magic to magic. She poured all of her anger, aggression, and thoughts into every movement. _She only had a couple more months left at the best._ Fire dagger. _She would never get to see the world._ A small shield. _She would never grow old with Rowan._ A fire arrow. _She wouldn't be able to enjoy the rest of her life with her family. She would die alone._ At that thought, she let all of her anger out. _Erawen would take her life from her. Rob her of all the moments she could have made._ She sent a huge wave of fire towards Rowan. Only to be met with wind and ice. She held steady pushing that wave as hard as she could. She closed her eyes as a tear escaped and trailed down her cheek. Rowan, missing nothing, quickly sucked the oxygen out of her fire to put it out and ran over to her.

She collapsed on the ground in tears. _She would never get to truly live. She would never celebrate another birthday or anniversary with Rowan, never have children, never trade books with Dorian, never laugh with Aedion, never talk with Lysandra. Her life would come to an end far too soon._ Rowan knelt down and held her. He held her until she couldn't cry any more. Until the tears dried on her cheeks. Until the sun set, and they were left sitting under the stars. He held her.

Aelin, Rowan, Aedion, and Lysandra were eating outside by one of the many benches. Aelin and Lysandra sat side by side with Rowan between Aelin's legs and Aedion laying on his stomach in front of them. They were eating fresh caught fish for lunch. Suddenly a memory came to mind. _Aelin was takin Rowan on a tour around Rifthold. She had just played the piano for Rowan, and he had persuaded her to try some fish. She had originally hated fish, but it was surprisingly amazing._ She would hold on to all of her good memories for the rest of her numbered days. She was still reeling from yesterday. She could never be more thankful for Rowan. He always knew what she needed, and all she needed was to be held and loved at that moment.

There was a thunderous flap of wings in the distance. Everyone immediately snapped their heads in the direction of that sound. _We're those wyverns?_ She saw an army worth of witches wearing red capes coming towards them.

Thirteen withches parted from the mass and flew straight towards them. The thirteen dismounted along with Elide who was riding with Asterin and Dorian who was riding with Mannon. Dorian ran up to embrace Aelin. "Thank the gods, your okay." He pulled back to look at her, making sure she was truly unscathed.

"Okay as I can be, and beautiful as ever," she replied with a smile.

He chuckled. "Of course."

She walked up to hug Elide and Mannon to both of their surprises.

Aelin walked to Dorian's room and knocked on the door. She heard a thump and a muffled curse The he opened the door.

"What do you need," he said trying to pretend like nothing happened.

"I have a surprise."

He seemed genuinely scared. "Aelin, when it comes to you, suprises usually mean there's going to be something that scares the living daylights out of everyone, so I'll pass."

He went to shut the door, but she swung out a hand to hold it opened.

"I promise no grand reveals. You'll like this surprise."

"Fine"

She pushed open the grand doors to the extensive library. His mouth opened with a pop.

"I knew you would like it."

"How many books are in here," he replied, astonished.

"More than I can read in my lifetime," she said grimly.

He rolled his eyes, "Sure, you're fae. You'll live,what, a thousand years. You'll definitely have time to read all these."

He looked at her waiting for her to saw something, but she elected to stay silent and stare at the floor.

He suddenly realized his mistake, "Oh Aelin, crap, I'm an idiot. Sorry."

She solemnly replied, "It's fine. I've come to terms with it." Though she wasn't even close to coming to terms with it.

They both left with towers of books in their hands. They couldn't see around the books, so they tripped over to many things to count. Just before the reached the level of bedrooms, they ran into each other dropping all of their books. She doubled over in laughter. She couldn't help it. That was hilarious.

Dorian got up, and started to pick up his books. "Thanks for that Your Royal Clummsiness."

"Right back at you Your Magnanimous Holiness." They both laughed, remembering the name Aelin had called him when she first started the competition that led to this whole crazy situation.

With that, they both gathered their books and went back to their rooms to plunge themselves into their finds.

 ***Hey y'all. I know this story was kind of sad, but I was writing so much happy stuff and I felt like I needed to remind everyone (even myself) that they are in the middle of a war and Aelin is going to die. Anyway, sorry for all the depressing material.**

 **Also before I forget, thank you Mckitty123, I'm so glad your enjoying the story and you look forward to reading it. I just thought of this as a good pastime. I never thought that someone would actually like it and much less look forward to reading it. That made me feel all warm inside.**

 **Now that all of the characters are gathered in place, they can start making plans and moves to defeat Aelin.**

 **I thought I could also bring in another character that we haven't seen in a while. A looooong while. Leave a comment about who you think it is.**

 **—Anna**


	9. The Full Story

Aelin woke up that morning with a book covering her face. _What time was it?_ She soon learned that it was 5:00 am. _Crap._ She had a meeting with everyone at 6:00. She turned towards Rowan, but he was still fast asleep. He stirred slightly, reaching an arm over to hold her. She leaned over an nipped her nose earning a deep growl.

"Rowan, we have to get up or we'll be late."

He squinted opened one eye as he replied, "You were reading all night, and you need rest to plan a war. Stay a little longer."

She leaned in for a quick brush of her lips against his then moved to get up again. This time, she ducked under his arms in a fast maneuver when he tried to reach for her. She shot up and went to the closet locking the door behind her.

When she finished changing, she opened the curtains and set every candle in the room on fire. Rowan quickly covered his eyes blinded by the bright lights.

He got out of bed and started to walk towards her. "Was that necessary?"

"Absolutely." She was looking in the mirror as she applied the finishing touches to her outfit.

She was wearing a teal day dress with golden threading that went down just below her knees. She thought the color complimented her eyes nicely.

She had gone to her parents' old room to see if there was anything of her mom's she could wear, but she immediately turned around the second she got to the doorway. It brought back too many bad memories. She had instead opted to wear this dress she found in the closet of another bedroom.

Rowan came behind her and grabbed her around the waist. She let out a quick squeal of surprise then cupped a hand over her mouth to stifle the sound.

"You look beautiful."

She rolled her eyes. "We're going to be late. We need to go."

He spun her around and kissed her. The kiss was lazy like he knew they would have a million more mornings like this. _If only._ They quickly walked out the door to the meeting.

They had acquired more people, so they had to move the meeting to the large dinning hall. She remembered running around the gigantic dinning table with her father chasing her. She wondered what he would have thought of Rowan. He would probably admire Rowan and ask him questions about where he had been and all of his adventures.

She quickly reigned in her thoughts. They were having a war meeting. She couldn't drift off to another time and place.

She moved to the middle of the table, and addressed the leaders, lords, and generals. "You all know why we are gathered today. We are in a war handed down to us from generations before. We inherited their burdens, so they would not have to carry them on their shoulders. We will finish what they started." She paused for a moment as they all cheered. "What you all don't know is why we were handed the war and how we are going to finish it." Everyone froze with confusion. "Mala gave up her human form to create the lock with the help of the crochan queen and King Brannon. The lock was meant to be used by Brannon to get rid of Erawen and the valg for good, but Elara stole the lock from her father in an atempt to end the war. Rather than send Erawen back to his realm, she put him into a deep slumber locking him under Morath." She stopped for a moment to catch her breath. Her friends had their heads turned down. They knew what was coming next. "When the gods heard of what Elara did, they were enraged. Brannon was supposed to use the lock to send them home too. They told Elara that Erawen would awaken one day. When that time came, she would have to prepare an heir of Brannon to defeat him using every last drop of their power and life source. They told her that there would be two heirs of the Havilliard line and the Galathynius line that she must choose from to prepare. That happened to be me and King Dorian. She choose me. Over the past two years, Elara has been slowly preparing me for that time. I only figured out her plans and what I must do right before I was captured. I am currently in possession of two wryd keys with Erawen having the other. You must lead your troops in a battle against the valg while I sneak in, find the last wryd key, and defeat Erawen. Because I will not return, I expect Rowan, my consort, to lead in my stead along with General Aedion and the other lords. Does anyone have any input on how you think we should proceed from here."

Aedion was the first to speak up, "Now that we have our troops and allies all gathered, we should start traveling to Anielle where we can camp in Oakwald Forrest. From there we can move to Morath. Oh, and like hell am I going along with your shitty plan to sacrifice yourself. You are not dying on that battlefield, Aelin."

She met his eyes as she spoke, "Then, we should be gone by morning. We need to move before the civilian casualties get higher, and if it means I save millions of lives by sacrificing my own, I'll do it again and again. I will go onto that battlefield knowing I won't return. If I die, I give millions of people the chance to live life the way I wish I could have. To spend the rest of their lives knowing that they will be safe and their children will be safe. That they won't wake up wandering if that is the day the get attacked or possessed. I don't want children growing up without their parents like I did. I want them to live the joys of life. If this is what my death means, then I will die in honor knowing that I have saved these people."

A tear escaped down her cheek, but she quickly whipped it away composing herself and hoping no one noticed. "If that is all, then I think we should start preparing to head out tomorrow. Good day."

She turned on her heel walking out the door. With only silence in her wake. As those large, oak doors closed behind her, she started sprinting down the hall and out the door leading to the forest.

Once she was a safe distance away, she unleashed the feelings she had been holding inside. She ripped off the smile she had plastered on her face. She expressed her feelings with fire. Before she knew it, a large area surrounding her was scorched. Nothing but dead grass and ashes. Suddenly, she knew what she had to do.

She would tear Erawen down from the inside out. She would cook him and unleash her full might until he was nothing more than ashes. Yes, ashes. They would build her kingdom up from them. A kingdom of ash. She wished she could be there to see it, but she must create the ashes before they can be built upon. She must die before her kingdom can prosper. If it meant her people, her friends, and Rowan could live, she would be glad to do it. This time, she truly meant it.

 ***Okay, I know I said I wouldn't do anything else so depressing, but I felt like the other leaders needed to know the full scope of things before they started moving troops and waging battles. That's why nothing much happened this chapter. I tried to add some Rowaelin fluff at the beginning in an attempt to breathe some life back in to this chapter, so I hope that helped.**

 **Also, the mystery character that we have not seen in a while was not in this chapter. I will try to bring the character into the next chapter or the one after that. ThroneOfGlassFanatic, the character is not Evangeline, but I think I might write an epilogue or maybe even a second book depending on how this one goes that includes her and fleet foot. They will definitely be in this FanFiction just closer to the end. I don't think that children and dogs should be trapped in the middle of a war against demons (that's just cruel). Anyway, keep commenting about who you think this character is going to be.**

 **I know I haven't updated recently, but I need to be encouraged to write or else I won't get around to it. The more comments and support I have, the more I will be motivated to write. Please, keep responding to my chapters, and tell me what I am doing wrong or right or what I need to fix.**

 **I'm again publishing pretty late it's one am here in Tennessee (USA). Am I crazy or am I turning into a vampire? We'll just have to wait and see if I can walk in the sunlight tomorrow. Yep, I'm definitely going crazy. Anyway, have a good day or night. Keep commenting I need to know how you feel about the story and chapters, so I can get better.**

 **—Anna**


	10. A Missing Friend

_Rowan_ :

He had held her hand the whole way to the dining hall. His instincts told him that Aelin would probably e sharing her whole story today.

When she got up to speak, she didn't stutter or tremble. She spoke clearly and evenly while leading up to the part where she told them what she needed to do. As she told everyone that she must sacrifice herself, a tear escaped down her cheek, but she quickly whipped it away with the back of her hand and took a deep breath. He couldn't imagine what she must be feeling. They would have had thousands of years together. All those years. All that time sacrificed to save others. He didn't think even he could do it.

He wouldn't let her die. No matter what, he would follow her to the ends of the Earth. If she went into Morath to fight Erawen, he would be by her side the whole time. If she died, he would follow her to the afterworld. A small voice in his head told him _no. Aelin needs you to lead her kingdom_. Rowan didn't know the first thing about leading a kingdom. She had said that Aedion and the lords could lead too. They would manage without him.

Just then, she stopped the meeting. There was something wrong with her. He knew it. Although he realized that he was the only one who noticed. Probably because they were mates.

They were mates and he couldn't let her suffer again. She had already paid the price ten times over. He had told her he wouldn't let anyone take her from him again. That promise was made after they had found her near Maeve's camp. He held true to his promises.

He turned his head to talk to Aelin only to find that she had already left. _Where did she go?_ Excusing himself he walked out the door to find her, but he couldn't after searching the castle until dark.

The sun had gone down hours ago. _Where was she?_ That was enough. He had to go look for her.

He flew miles out until he couldn't see the castle. The stars were lighting his way now as he searched.

He finally found a larg circle cleared of trees. Only burnt grass covered the circle. Aelin was laying on her back in the middle looking up at the stars.

She spoke without looking at him. "I always wondered if the stars were different in the Sourthern continent."

"We'll have to go someday." He layed down next to her.

She finally turned around so shake her head at him. "Rowan, you know what I have to do. I'm not going to make it back.

"Fireheart, I am not letting you go in to die alone. I will not let you die, and if it comes to it, I'll go to the afterworld right with you. I'll always be by your side."

"No, I've finally come to terms with it. I was never meant to live a life I was never meant to meet Lysandra or Dorian. I was never meant to find you. My life was already planned a long time ago. She was supposed to take me in that river. I was never meant to find friendships, find love. Most of my life, I have been preparing to sacrifice myself even if I didn't know. This is what I have to do. This is what I will do."

He moved closer to her so she wouldn't have to suffer alone. He held her until she dozed off. Then, he brought her back to their room. He held her throughout the night. When the sun came up, he lovingly woke her up, so they could get ready to go. He wished every morning if he rest of his life would be like this. Waking each other up with a nip or a kiss. Holding each other through the night. He was determined to make this happened.

 _Aelin:_

That morning, Rowan had woken her up. He must have carried her back to the castle last night. Just then, everything came rushing back to her. The meeting. Her talk with Rowan. What she had said. She was not letting him die along with her. Her death meant her loved ones and friends could live including Rowan.

She changed into her riding clothes. They had a long day ahead of them. As they walked out the door and down to the stables, Rowan held her hand the whole time.

She muttered, "Over protective fae bastard."

He only growled and looked down at her.

Everyone was already outside making last preparations, so it was only them two left inside. Before they went to open the doors. Aelin reaches up to cord her arms around Rowan's neck then kissed him. It was intense and passionate. She kissed him like she would never be able to kiss him again. Somehow, he knew, but he kept kissing her.

When they finally broke apart, he asked her, "Are you sure? Your ready?"

"As sure and ready as I'll ever be."

She opened the doors to and stepped outside. There were crowds of people cheering her on. "Defeat the Valg." "Burn them." "Finish this war." These were her people. The ones she was fighting for.

She was still standing on the steps with her hand in Rowan's when she heard a familiar voice coming towards her.

"Celaena Sardothien, Celaena Sardothien!"

None of her people knew the name she took while she was in Adarlan. Unless...

She turned towards the voice and saw a familiar face pushing through the crowd. "Nox!"

She ran towards him and collided with an embrace.

She separated from him and asked, "What happened after you left the competition?"

He looked at her with joy. "I came back here to Orynth. It's good to see you, Celaena."

She was about to correct him when Rowan walked up to her side. "Aelin, who is this?"

Nox looked at her funny. Then looked at Rowan. "I think you have the wrong person."

Rowan smirked. "I'm quite sure I have the write person."

She knew what he was doing so she elbowed him in the side.

He looked at her. _What was that for._

 _Stop being so dificult._ He rolled his eyes as she looked back towards Nox.

"Why don't you come with us. We have a lot to catch up on."

The three of them went to the stables to saddle the horses they would take to Annielle. While Nox was mounting his horse, she explained to Rowan that Nox had been a friend she met in the competition and he had no idea who she was. He nodded back at her then kissed her quickly and mounted. She followed and they set of on their ride.

 ***Suprise, Suprise, the character we've been missing is Nox. Any way, I said I always update sooner when I'm encouraged, and I think I've gotten three reviews since I published the chapter last night. I had to write as soon as I woke up.**

 **Look at this. I'm at chapter ten. WOW! I never expected to write bast chapter one, but look where I am now. I'm probably a little crazy for celebrating my tenth chapter when you have people over her celebrating their one hundredth chapter. Anyway, I'm kind of proud of that. Keep telling me what I should fix or keep on doing. Also comment what your favorite chapter has been so far.**

 **—Anna**


	11. Catching Up

_Aelin:_

Once they mounted their horses, Nox turned to look at her. "Celaena, why are we with Her Majesty Aelin Galathynius' troops? Where are we going."

She met his eyes. "I need to start from the beginning. First of all, I am Aelin Galathynius," Nox tried to bow on his horse but failed miserably. She laughed, "No, Nox, you don't have to bow, and don't call me majesty or highness. You're a friend. Call me "Aelin" please."

"So how are you also Celaena Sardothien, and how did you end up as Adarlan's Assassin?"

"When I was eight, my parents were murdered and I fled. I fell into the river while I was being chased. Then, I washed up on the shore near Arobynn Jamel's former house. For the next ten years, I trained to be an assassin. I took the name Celaena Sardothien. I was preparing to run away, when I was captured and put in Endovier. I was in the slave camp for a year before I was pulled out to compete in the competition. After, you left, I soon became the champion. Where I helped some lords escape rather than kill them. I was sent to Wendlyn to kill the royal family, but I traveled to one of the fae outposts to train so I could be granted access to Doranelle to ask Maeve questions about the wryd keys. While I was there I met Rowan." She gestured towards him. "He trained me and helped me control my powers. At the time we were both in a dark place, but we slowly pulled each other out of it. I helped him realize that Maeve was not the person he should be fighting for, and he helped me realize that I needed to come back and fight for Terrasen. Once I was granted permission to enter Doranelle, I immediately went to Maeve and got the answers I needed. I then... convinced her to release Rowan."

Rowan bugged in to her explanation, "When she says 'convinced Maeve', she means she set all of Doranelle on fire, but the fire didn't burn."

Nox looked at her with a horrified expression.

She looked towards Rowan.

 _Was that necessary._

He looked back at her with amusement in his eyes. _Yes, I really wanted to see his face. Priceless._

She turned back to Nox. "It was not one of my finest moments. I promise no one go hurt."

He seemed to take that answer, so she continued her story. "Anyway, Rowan swore a blood oath to me, and I went back to Adarlan where he soon joined me. While we were there, we planned to defeat the king and restore magic. We succeeded."

Me and Rowan started out as friends, but we soon started to fall in love. Not too long ago, we got married, and we figured out we were mates. Before I forget, let me introduce you to my consort, Rowan Whitethorn Galathynius."

Nox looked shocked. He obviously wasn't used to being in the prescence of royalty let alone to royals. "Congratulations?"

"Back to the story, I was then captured by Maeve, but I escaped and Rowan found me. Now I'm here. Right now we're heading to Anielle. You can stay with us if you wish, but feel free to turn back. It's your choice."

Nox responded, "I think I'll stay."

She was happy she would have time to reconnect with Nox. "That's great."

They soon launched into conversation after conversation catching up and just being themselves. She caught a couple eye rolls from Rowan, but she just repeated the motion back.

Nox then asked her the last question she would have ever thought he would ask. "So you two are married and mates and carranam and bloodsworn. What are your pet names for each other? You have to have pet names for each other."

Rowan froze and turned stone cold while Aelin burst out laughing. Nox had a confused look on his face. "What?"

Aelin spoke to him as she tried to re-compose herself, "Nothing, it's just not what you'd think. We do have names for each other. He calls me 'Fireheart' and I call him 'Buzzard'."

Rowan looked at her like he was shocked. _Why did you tell him._

She met his eyes. _Why not? Someone would figure out anyway. Come on is the big fae male scared of someone stealing the name you call me._

He rolled his eyes.

Nox spoke up again, "I get Fireheart, but why Buzzard?"

She replied smiling, "Because he's an overprotective fae bastard that annoys the shit out of me most of the time."

Rowan looked at her like he was offended. "I wouldn't be so overprotective if you didn't insist on getting captured, tortured, or sacrificing yourself."

"Rowan, I have to. It's not an option. And don't even think about trying to save me or dying with me."

Nox quickly intervened, "Who is sacrificing themselves and dying."

She turned towards him. "To defeat the Valg king, I must use all of my magic and life force to destroy him. I will die in the process, and Rowan is confident that he's not going to let me and find another way."

Nox had a solemn expression across his face. "I'm sorry, Aelin. I didn't know."

"It's fine. I've come to terms with it."

When they arrived at camp, Rowan helped her dismount, and they set up their tent. She refused the people that tried to come over and help them. She told them that there was other work that needed to be done.

She grabbed a bow and some arrows to kill some birds flying by for her and Rowan's dinner. Once she shot a couple. She cooked them in her hands the brought them inside the tent to eat.

She plopped down on the ground and started digging in. Rowan entered and sat beside her grabbing one of the birds to eat.

Rowan groaned with pleasure. "This is so good."

She smiled at him. "Compliments of Aelin's inferno."

He leaned over to kiss her. As he pulled away he said, "You know you can't avoid it. I know it's tearing you up. Talk to me about it."

"There's nothing to talk about. I know what I have to do. I have no choice. This was what I was born to do. This is my purpose. My life is not worth a million others. I must do this."

"Aelin, your life is worth everything. It's worth every star in the sky. Your life means everything to me. If you go, I go."

"No Rowan. You don't understand. I'm not just saving my people and my court's lives. I'm saving yours too."

"You shouldn't have to save my life. I'm your bloodsworn, husband, and mate. I'm supposed to protect you."

Tears started falling down her face. "Can you just hold me."

He looked at her with love swelling in his eyes. "Always."

She crawled into his arms, and he held her through the night wiping away her tears and just holding her.

 ***Hey, so I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I think I finally have an idea about what direction this is going to go in, so that's great. Yay me. Anyway, I have volleyball tryouts tomorrow, so I'm kind of stressing out. Ahhh! I'm so worried.**

 **Thank you to those who have read this story from the beginning and those who may have just started reading. It makes me happy that someone is enjoying my crazy story. It's hard to imagine someone looking foreword to what I have to write. I'm so used to waiting for chapters of other stories to come out. Now it's reversed. That's crazy.**

 **—Anna**


	12. The Hunt

_Aelin:_

They hadn't had enough food to feed all of the troops, so they had assigned groups of people to take turns hunting. Aelin insisted on joining them under the cover of wanting everyone to see her as an equal. In truth, she wanted to escape the glances of pity thrown her way everywhere she went. Even her friends. Rowan was the only one who didn't pity her. He instead was determined to not let her sacrifice herself. She loved him for it, but it only mad her choice harder.

She was with a unit of soldiers getting briefed on how much they needed to feed everyone. Of course, she wasn't paying attention. If she killed a little too much, they would only have extra food.

They were finally headed into the forest when one of the soldiers got up the courage to ask her a question, "Your Majesty, if you don't mind me asking, why are you out here with us."

Everyone was listening in now, interested.

She lauged as she answered, "I don't mind. First I have a question for you. Do you know where I was when Terrassen fell."

They all shook their heads. "Well, I became known as Adarlan's Assassin or Celaena Sardothien. You may have heard of me. Then I trained to master my magic. I would rather be hunting or fighting on the front lines than sitting on a throne scheming, plotting, and attending stuffy meetings."

She received looks of admiration from all the men. "Can you show us."

"My assassin skills or magic skills."

"Both!"

"Okay, but all of you need to back up a lot."

She showed them to where she wanted them to stand. "Here we go." She was going to enjoy this.

She burned targets into the trees around her and started throwing knives straight at the bullseyes with flawless accuracy. She heard the soldiers' "oh's" and "aw's" in the distance. While she was throwing knives, she sent a couple bursts of fire towards a flock of birds flying by that brought down a couple of them.

It was time for he grand ending. She exploded with her fire and sent a specific area on fire turning everything to ashes. She was greeting with sounds of shouting and clapping. There was a circle around her of nothing but burnt land. The circle stopped right in front of where the men were standing. She nodded her head to them and smirked. "Show time's over. We actually need to bring back some food."

She was sitting in a tree as she hit birds with her knives and fire. By her count, she had already brought down twenty-one birds, three squirrels, and a deer. Not to shabby.

She heard someone down below her. It was the soldier who had first asked her the question.

"Your Majesty, do you need any help bringing these back?"

"It's Aelin and yes. Can you grab about... fifteen birds? I can get the deer, six birds, and the squirrels."

"Yes, Your Ma—Aelin." He quickly corrected himself.

"Soldier, may I ask you what your name is?"

"Of course, I'm Lieutenant Baldasarre."

"Well Lieutenant Baldasarre, it was nice to meet you."

"You as well. What you did back there was amazing."

She laughed at him, "Oh, that was nothing."

He stuttered as he eventually responded, "Would you be willing to give me and a few others a couple lessons. We haven't received much training, and we want to be as helpful as we can towards the war."

She considered his request for a couple of moments before coming to a decision. "I'll meet you and whoever you want to bring at dawn. Don't expect me to go easy on you."

His whole demeanor suddenly changed. His rigid posture and pinched expression suddenly became more calm. He was obviously relieved. "Thank you so much."

She glanced at him and smiled. "I owe every single one of you. It's the least I could do."

They picked up the dead animals and dragged them back to camp for the cook to prepare.

The cook was pleased to have all the new food to work with. The other soldiers had brought in quite a bit as well.

She sat by Rowan as she ate leaning her head on his shoulder. She had elected not to tell anyone, even him about the training.

Rowan looked down at her. "I'll never understand what it is with you and your infatuation for food."

She only smirked as she looked at him. "We have an umbreakable bond."

"I heard you went hunting today, rumors are going around that you may have shown off a bit and let it slip that you were Adarlan's Assassin."

"Well they wanted to see my fire and assassin training. I couldn't let them down now could I?"

He only chuckled and went back to eating.

She quickly finished the bird she was eating. "So, what did you do today."

"I flew around the camp and checked the perimeter."

She looked at him as if they were talking about the weather. "How much more boring can you get."

"At least I'm not going around throwing knives and showing my magic to everyone who walks by," he replied with fake accusation in his tone.

They both laughed until Aelin let out a yawn. "It's getting late. I'm going to turn in for the night."

Rowan leaned over and kissed her cheek as she got up. "Love you. I'll be there shortly."

She headed into the tent and fell into a blissful sleep.

 ***Hey guys, I know I haven't updated in the last couple of days, but I've had a lot of stuff going on. Yesterday I figured out I made the volleyball team. Thank you, McKitty123, for wishing me luck. That meant a lot.**

 **Also, I introduced a new character: Lieutenant Baldasarre. Baldasarre is a name that originates in Italy and it means brave one. I thought that was kind of cool.**

 **I also wanted to do a few more cool scenes and chapters like this one before they go to Morath, but I need some more ideas. I would love some suggestions. The next chapter will also include a training scene, I just don't know what else I want to do with it yet.**

 **—Anna**


	13. Training

_Aelin:_

When she woke up, the night sky had just started to fade into the light hues of morning. She shifted out of Rowan's arms and changed into her assassin suit then left their tent.

The soldiers were all standing in neat rows with their arms to their sides.

"Okay boys, you all know me. I'm Aelin. Please don't call me 'Your Majesty' while we're training. Before we get started, I'd like to know all of your names, where you're from, and who you lost during the reign of Adarlan. Gather around. To hell with drills and formation."

They all came in and made a semi-circle around her. Lieutenant Baldasarre stepped up first. "I'm Noah Baldasarre from Orynth. I lost my sister." "I'm Liam Boaz from Perranth. I lost my parents." "I'm Jacob Biyn from Allsbrook. I lost my brothers." "I'm Isaac Alim from Perranth. I lost my grandparents." "I'm Alfred Besnik from Rosamel. I lost my two sons." "I'm Jonathon Barron from Orynth. I lost my best friend." "I'm Nathan Kane from Perranth. I lost my niece and nephew."

The men had finished introducing themselves. It was her turn. "I'm Aelin Ashyrver Galathynius from Orynth. I lost my parents, my uncle, most of my court, and my people. I know we all have people we've lost. We all have people we're fighting for. I'm training you, so you can fight to keep others safe. Fight to avenge them. Fight to make sure you don't lose anyone else. Fight to get rid of the darkness that is trying to steal our home. Your fight begins now."

They all traded looks of newfound confidence. They all had found their reason to fight. To go on.

"Today, you are going to forget everything you've previously learned. We are going to start with knive throwing."

She showed them the stance they needed to stand in. Then, she went up to each individually to fix their own position. "Now, it's all in the wrist. Breathe in then flick your wrist and release your knife when you breathe out."

They all took turns trying to hit he target. Some got very close to the bullseyes with the rest hitting the second and third ring. "Better than I thought. Now let me show you."

She grabbed two knives and threw one. It hit exactly on the bullseye. She then threw the other, and it hit the hilt of the first knife and stuck.

"That is how you do it. When you move to release your knife, use your whole body. You need to move into the throw. Now try again."

They all took turns throwing their knives again. This time most of them hit around the bullseye and in the second ring. She walked up to them and started clapping. "Very well done. In your free time, keep on practicing. Tomorrow we'll practice one on one with swords. We'll be using wooden ones though. I have a meeting soon, but we can go ahead and get breakfast while everyone else is asleep."

They went and got soup and bread from the cook and sat down on a circle of logs.

One of the men, Nathan, looked up at her. "So there's one thing all of us have been dying to know. How did you escape the assassin?"

She smiled at him. They were opening up to her, so she needed to open up to them. "It was a rainy day and the window in my parent's room was open. I was eight and I thought I heard something, so I crawled in bed with them. I assumed the bed was wet from the storm. When I woke up I was laying between their cold, dead bodies covered in blood. Later that day the assassin can back to get me. My mother's best friend sacrificed her life so I could escape. I ran away, but he started chasing me. Before I knew it, I had fell into the river. Arobynn Hamel, the king of assassins, found me washed up against the banks near his old plantation house. He raised me to become an assassin, and believe me it was not fun. Anyway, ten years later I got caught and put in Endovier. I was whipped constantly and walked on a thin line between life and death for about a year. I was then brought to the king of Adarlan to compete to become the king's champion; I won. While I worked for the king, I helped the lords that he told be to kill escape. He sent me to Wendlyn to kill the royal family. Instead, I went to the fae lands where I met Rowan who trained to master my magic. After that, we came back to Adarlan where we killed the king and restored magic. Now I'm here."

Nathan, Noah, Jacob, Isaac, Liam, Alfred, and Jonathan stared at her in awe.

She pointed to her neck. "I got these scars when I killed the ancient matron of the yellow leg witch clan."

She pointed to her wrists. "These are from the manacles I wore in Endovier."

She pointed to her hand. "This is where I made a blood oath to my friend to free her kingdom. My friend was Nehemia. I lost her too."

Finally, she lifted up her shirt and turned around. "The old scars are from where I was whipped in Endovier. The new ones are from where I was whipped by a fae warrior when I was captured by Maeve."

She released the hem of her shirt and turned back around. After that, they all traded stories of their pasts and shown everyone their scars. These seven men had become a small circle of friends to her in just one morning.

"Well now I have to go to another meeting. Shit."

They all laughed. "Well bye everyone. See you bright and early tomorrow, and please don't tell anyone else about this. There are certain people I haven't told yet, and I don't want them knowing."

They all said they understood and they'd be here tomorrow. Time to face everyone else.

She snuck back into her tent to change only to find Rowan already awake. She winced.

He only looked at her unwaveringly. "Well, where did you go? I woke up and you weren't here, and now you're sneaking back in with your gear on."

"I was walking around showing off my outfit to everyone on camp. You have to admit. It's pretty badass." She smirked at him.

He growled, "Aelin, I'm serious. Where did you go."

She made to leave. "Nowhere. Nowhere important. Now, we need to go. We have a meeting."

She left and started walking towards the giant war tent where they were all meeting. Rowan quickly caught up to her. "If there's anything wrong, you can tell me. We're mates. I'll always be here for you."

She stopped so she could turn around and look at him. Before he could object, she leaned up and kissed him. She kissed him with only love on her mind. He wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her back. Before it could get anymore passionate, she pulled away and interlaced their hands. "Rowan, I love you. If anything was wrong, you'd be the first to know, but I'm okay. There's nothing to worry about."

They were the first to arrive. As they entered, she took a moment to gather in her surroundings. There was a large oak table in the middle with a giant map at its center. There were two gaurds stationed at the enterance. She immediately recognized them. It was Nathan and Isaac. She smiled at them. She was about to address them, but she realized she would have to explain who they were two Rowan if she did.

They stood by the table to examin the map. It showed the majority of Erilea, Wendlyn, and the Southern Continent.

She heard Nathan and Isaac opening the doors to let people come in. Chaol, Yrene, Dorian, Mannon, and Elide walked towards them. Mannon spoke as she looked at the map, "So what's the plan so far."

Aelin turned to face her. "We are going to start discussing it as soon as everyone gets their asses in here." Everyone grinned at that.

The rest started trickling in. Ansel, Galan, and Ilias. Lord Murtaugh, Lord Ren, and Lord Darrow. Aedion and Lysandra. Aelin wandered what was going on between them. The southern continent princes and princesses and Nesryn. Rolfe and his first mate. Lorcan and Gavriel. Some Generals came in too. She thought that was everyone. "So we need to decide when, where and how we are going to attack Erawen. I'd like to march out to Morath as soon as possible."

Aedion grabbed a pen and started drawing on the map. "It will take us about three days to get to the Morath keep. I say we march out in a week giving us enough time to let the soldiers rest and prepare themselves. In the mean time, we need to hunt so we have food while we're traveling and take inventory of all of our supplies and weapons."

Galan replied, "Good, I can take my armada and attack Morath from the east on the Avery river."

Rowan nodded. "Galan will attack from the east along with Captain Rolfe. Ansel and Ilias will attack from the West. Chaol and the southern continent will attack from the south. Our troops and the crochans will attack from the north. Lorcan and Gavriel will be with us."

Aelin pointed to the map. "While everyone attacks, I'll sneak into the keep and take on Erawen. By the time he's dead, the fight should be over."

Rowan turned to look at her. "Aelin, we can.." she cut him off before he could finish. "This is what we need to do. Everyone, prepare to leave in a week. You're dismissed."

She left and ended up hunting for he rest of the day. Along with another group of soldiers. To her disappointment, she didn't recognize any of them as one of the men she was training.

She was excited and nervous at the same time. They finally had a plan.

 ***Hey y'all. I know nothing really interesting has happened these last couple of chapters, so I decided to make this chapter longer. I think this is about double the size of most of my other chapters. I hope y'all liked it.**

 **I thought it wood be good for Aelin to have some other friends that weren't trying to convince her not to sacrifice herself or pitying her. She needed some release. I thought this was the perfect opportunity. I decided to add something cool and google the seven soldier's name. Here's what they mean and where they are from:**

 **Baldasarre: Italy, brave one**

 **Boaz: Hebrew, swift**

 **Biyn: Norway, strong**

 **Alim: Arabia, wise, learned**

 **Besnik: Albania, loyal**

 **Barron: England, warrior**

 **Kane: Irish, fighter**

 **Anyway, I just picked random first names. I hoped y'all like that.**

 **I had an idea about how I wanted to end it, but now I've decided I want to do it totally different. I've also been trying to decide if I want to do another book (story) based on what's going on after the ending of this story. If I do that, I can either post another story and do it or just do it on this story. I could also just not do it at all. I really need another opinion. I have no idea what I want to do, so I really need some advice.**

 **You know how 13 is an unlucky number. This is chapter thirteen and I kept on deleting everything. One time I deleted half the chapter and I had to go back and rewrite it. Ughhhh. Stupid superstitions.**

 **Anyway, please keep commenting, liking, and following. By now, y'all know how much I need motivation to write.**

 **—Anna**


	14. The Example

_Aelin:_

They were to leave for Morath this afternoon. She was currently having her last training session with the boys, and they were working on archery. "Don't take your eyes off the target. Pull the string back to your ear. Just like when throwing knives, breath in then release when you exhale."

They were doing good. All of them had improved at an impressive rate. She hoped this would help them while they were fighting.

She smelt a familiar scent coming towards them. Pine and snow. _Rowan._

She cursed under her breath, "Shit." Noah laughed at her. "What?" She was supposed to be helping him.

"Rowan's here."

He laughed at her. "Good luck with that mess."

That's when she heard him. "Aelin, can I have a word?"

She whispered to Noah, "Wish me luck."

He only grinned at her and whispered back, "Don't worry. I'll come to your funeral."

She stuck her tounge out at him and walked towards Rowan.

"Hello, Rowan. Isn't it a nice day. No clouds in sight."

"Aelin, this is what you didn't want to tell me. I don't care if you train other people. I think it's amazing."

She just had an idea. "Which is why you're going to help me."

She dragged Rowan towards the boys. "Rowan, this is Liam, Noah, Nathan, Alfred, Isaac, Jacob, and Jonathon." She pointed to each of them as she said their names.

"Boys, this is Rowan. He's going to be helping us today."

She turned and smirked at Rowan. "You are going to spar with me, so we can show them how it's done."

He fixed her with a serious look. "Aelin, you know I can't. We're mates. I just got you back. I'm not going to hurt you."

Oh he was in for it now. "One, I love how you think you can hurt me, and two, nothing stopped you back at mistward. Try me."

He finally gave in to her. "Fine. Will you still talk like that after you get a mouth full of dirt."

She was taking him down. "Oh, you're on."

The men were about to see the show of their lives. "Boys, pay attention to our technique." She burned a large circle to make a small arena. "Don't step into the circle."

She turned on her heel grinning like a maniac. "Let's begin."

She moved to run forward to him, but Rowan froze the ground under her feet causing her to slip. "So magic? Guess we're all in."

He replied, "Wouldn't have it any different."

She sent a fire ball to his chest, but he dogged. Not in time. It managed to hit the sleeve of his arm. He quickly sucked the oxygen out of the fire to put it out. She was not going to take it easy on him.

While he was still putting out he fire, she ran towards him and swept him off his feet with a kick to the back of his knee. She was on him in an instant, punching him in the jaw. "You know I love you. Right?"

He responded by flipping her over punching her cheek bone. "Always."

With a quick knee to the groin, she got out from under him and landed a kick to his side. Yrene was a healer. She could fix them up later.

He came up and cut her in the calf with a knife she didn't know she had. "So, weapons too. This is how it's going to be?"

He came up and punched her in the mouth drawing blood. "You asked for a fight."

Her magic healed her cut in no time. He was going to eat his words.

She sent fire towards his feet causing his rubber boots to burn. While he was trying to get his feet out of the burning leather. She stabbed him in the thigh with his dagger. He would be fine. He could heal himself.

They went on like that for a while. Fist to fist. Weapon to weapon. Magic to magic.

Before she knew it, a huge crowd had gathered around the circle. Was it already breakfast time?

They were there to watch two of the strongest fae on earth spar. She wouldn't disappoint.

She sent a wave of fire blasting towards him. He barely dodged the blow sending dozens of ice arrows flying in her direction. She dodged and melted most of them, but one of them got past her shields embedding itself in her upper arm.

She yanked the arrow out, healing her arm with her magic.

She burnt the grass around him in an attempt to trap him. He only sucked the oxygen out of it then sent the ashes to her eyes with a strong gust of wind. _Damn it. She couldn't see._

While she was momentarily blinded, he snuck behind her and kicked her in the back where she was still recovering from the lashings she had recently received. She fell to her knees grabbing at her back and crying out. He immediately knelt down with her trying to help her. Saying he was sorry. What Rowan didn't know was that she had developed a gigantic tolerance for pain while she was held captive by Maeve. She spun around and pushed him to the ground. Holding a dagger to his neck.

He smirked at her and said, "I've been in worse situations."

She flicked out another dagger and held it just above his groin. "Sure about that."

He seemed genuinely worried. "You wouldn't."

She only stared him down. "Oh yes I would."

He sighed, "Fine, I surrender. You win."

She got off of him standing and holding out a hand to help him get up. "Let's go get some help."

They were getting checked out by Yrene just before they had to leave.

Once she was done she stood up to leave. "You're all healed and ready to go. Now, don't do anything like that again any time soon."

They both nodded as she said her goodbyes and left them to sit alone.

Rowan turned to face her. "Are you sure you're okay?"

She gave him a quick peck on his lips. "The only thing that is still hurt is your dignity."

He leaned forward to kiss her again. "I guess you'll just have to heal my wounds."

 ***Hey. I hope y'all liked this chapter. This was sooooo fun to write. Fighting scenes are always the best. So, we're getting close to the part everyone's been waiting for. The face off against Erawen. I've finally decided how I want to do it. I also decided that I didn't want to stop it just there. I always hate it when you finish the last book in an amazing series and you want to know what happens after that. Well I won't leave y'all hanging. I'm planning on continuing it and writing about life at the castle after the war. Comment on what you think should happen after the war is over or how you think the war is going to end. Take a guess. I'm excited to hear what y'all think.**

 **—Anna**


	15. Let It Out

_Aelin:_

Three days ago, they had left for Morath, and they we're finally arriving. Currently, they were camped north of Morath where the mountains, Avery river, and oakwald forrest intersected.

In a couple of days, they had to face off against Erawen and the Valg. In a couple of days, she would sacrifice herself. She would give up her life.

When she realized she only had days left, she decided to make the most it. While they traveled, she talked and laughed with all of her friends. Dorian told her about the books he had read when they went to the library in the castle. Lysandra went on and on about the day she went into Orynth shopping and the new forms she had mastered. She and Aedion had sat together trying to remember some of the stupidest things they had done as kids. Every night, she would fall asleep in Rowan's arms and tell him about her day.

She wished the rest of her life would be like this, but if she didn't sacrifice herself, no one would be able to live like she wished she could have. Dorian wouldn't be able to read. Lysandra would not go into town shopping. Aedion would be too haunted by his nightmares to rejoice in good memories. Rowan would... she didn't know what Rowan would do. She hoped he would rule her country and find someone he could be happy with. Even if it wasn't her. Rowan's life and happiness meant the world to her. She didn't want his life to stop with hers. He needed to go on.

She needed to get out. To get away. She snuck out of her and Rowan's tent once again. Once her thoughts were in order she would come back.

So there she was. Lying face up on a tree branch with her leg swinging under her. Tears streamed down her face. She couldn't help it. At least she wasn't at camp where everyone would watch her as she cried. She didn't want anyone to know how much it pained her. Once again her thoughts drifted off. _What was it like after one died? Would I go to hell and suffer for those I've killed? Would I see my parents? My uncle? Nehemia? Sam? Would I fade into darkness?_ These questions had been haunting her for a while now. What would happen after she died? Every waking moment had her contemplating this one question. Every time she closed her eyes, she dreamed of what it would be like. _A hell or a heaven? A nightmare or a dream?_ Sometimes she woke up thrashing in the middle of the night with this thought on her mind. She wouldn't get back to sleep until Rowan calmed her.

She also wandered if she would be able to see her family and friends after she died. Not the dead, but those still alive. Rowan, Aedion, Lysandra, Dorian, even Fleetfoot. Would she be able to watch over them? Make sure they were okay.

Growing up, she always felt as if her parents were watching over her. In Endovier, she wandered if Sam was watching over her. After Nehemia was murdered, she always wandered what Nehemia thought about the choices she was making as if she was watching her every move. Through every moment of her life, she had felt as if one of her loved ones was there for her watching over her. Through the ups and the downs, she was never truly alone. No. She always had them.

So would she watch over Aedion as he marched into battle. Would she watch over Lysandra as she became a lady and ruled her lands. Would she watch over Rowan, so she would always be with him. To make sure he didn't fall into a dark place again. Even if she couldn't watch them, she would always be with them. In their hearts she would reside.

She heard multiple sets of footsteps coming towards her, so she quickly moved into a defensive position on top of her branch.

A voice called out to her, "Aelin, it's just us." _Aedion._ Come on. She didn't want to be seen like this.

As quickly as she could, she tried to wipe the tears off her face and become more presentable. Was there a leaf in her hair? "Please, give me a moment," She sniffled. _Shit._ They were getting closer. She could smell them clearly now. It was Aedion, Lysandra, and Rowan.

As they got closer to her, she only climbed further up the tree.

She heard Rowan this time, "Aelin, we are your family. You're prepared to sacrifice yourself, but you're going around acting like nothings going to happen. Like you're fine. You're not fine. It's okay to be scared. It's okay to cry and let it all out. No matter what, we're here for you. Please come down and talk with us."

She sighed, "Fine."

She started climbing down the tree trying not to kiss step and come tumbling down. As soon as she got to the base, Rowan enveloped her in a tight embrace kissing the top of her head. He brushed her hair as she cried into his shoulder. "It's going to be okay. I'm not going to let them take you. You're not going to die. I love you."

Once the tears finally stopped flowing, she and Rowan both sat at the base of the tree. His arm was wrapped around her shoulders tucking her protectively into his side.

Lysandra sat to her other side holding her hand while Aedion sat in front.

Rowan tilted his head so he was looking at her. "It's okay, Aelin. You can let everything go. Release the feelings you've been holding on to."

She took a deep breath. "I'm scared." There she said it. "I'm scared of dying. I'm not ready to leave this life behind. I'm just not ready." Here comes the waterworks again. The tears quickly returned streaming from her eyes down her cheeks to fall of her chin and land on the ground. All she could here was the sound of the tears hitting the ground. _Splat. Splat. Splat._ "I know it's horrible of me to want that. I was living off of the luxuries of Adarlan while my own people were dying, but I can't help it. I have to stay strong, so people think I'm okay with sacrificing myself. If they knew how much I didn't want to die for them, I can only imagine what they'd say. 'You need to die in the place of us.' 'You let us die. Now it's your turn.' It's you or us. Stop being selfish.' The thing is, I couldn't even blame them. Truth be told, I deserve to die. I should have expected it and welcomed it with open arms, but I just can't. I can't fathom the idea of losing you all. Of not being able to live life to it's fullest. I'm a monster. Just say it. I don't deserve to live. I'm horrible for even wanting to be alive at this point. For wanting to not sacrifice myself for millions of people." She buried her face in her hands. She really was a monster for even thinking these things. She couldn't look into her people's faces and tell them that she valued her own life more than theirs.

Aedion laughed at her causing her to look up. "Well where did you come up with all of that bullshit. Aelin, you're not a monster. You helped me escape execution. You helped Lysandra escape the brothel. For the gods' sakes, you basically pulled Rowan out of his own self misery and turned his life around. You're not perfect, but you're far from being a monster. It's okay to be scared of dying. We're all scared of our own deaths. You could walk away and say that you won't sacrifice yourself at any moment, and we wouldn't care. It's understandable. We'll back you on whatever you decide to do."

She felt Lysandra squeeze her and, so she turned to face her. "You're my best friend. You're my sister wether we share blood or not. If I hadn't met you when we were just two miserable teenagers that hated each other, I don't know where I would be right now. You were there for me when I needed it the most. I'll always stand by you. I'll always be there for you no matter what."

She turned towards Rowan as he finally started speaking. "I guess it's my turn now." He looked up at her. His green eyes were full of nothing but love. "Aelin, I was I a dark spot when we met. You were too. We pulled each other out of it. We brought each other back to life." Oh, the tears were definitely pouring now. "I feel like all of my life I had been traveling and searching the world for something. I've been to thousands of places. Places that don't exist anymore. All to find that missing piece. The only thing was, what I was looking for wasn't a thing. It was a person. It was you. Aelin, you were my missing piece. I just found you, and I'm not letting you go. I'm not letting you die. We'll find another way. I love you."

She grabbed reached to grab is face. Tears matching hers were leaking down his face. She didn't think she'd ever seen him cry. With a squeeze of her hand Lysandra and Aedion discreetly left.

She couldn't care at the moment. All of her attention was focused on Rowan. She leaned forward and kissed him like they would never be able to kiss again. She kissed him with all of her love. He returned the kiss with equal passion.

Eventually their tears mingled, and they pulled apart. Rather than getting up to go, they just sat their holding each other. One thought ringed in her mind. _This is what she would miss the most. Rowan._

 ***Hey. I know haven't posted in a couple of days. I've just been writing a little here and there. It might sound a little crazy, but I literally wake up every day and I check my email for any comments before doing anything else. I know it's stupid, but I just love knowing that I have people supporting me and reading my story and what I have to say. Sorry about that, I just had to get that out of my system. I just wanted y'all to know how much I appreciate y'all and how much I look forward to knowing what y'all have to say and what you think. It means the world to me.**

 **Anyway, I felt like Aelin needed to know that she had support from her friends and she knew that they would stand by her no matter what. Everyone needs to get their feelings out every once in a while. I personally don't like people knowing when I'm upset about something. I normally hide my feelings then let them out when I'm writing FanFiction or I express them in poetry. I just felt that it was important for her to let everything out for once.**

 **I was also wandering if anyone had any book suggestions. I'm running out of things to read while I wait for Kingdom of Ashes. I'm currently reading Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch. I think this is my fifth time reading this series so I desperately need something knew. Please help me.**

 **—Anna**


	16. The Surprise

She followed a rountine everyday. Meetings in the morning. Breakfast. Training. Lunch. Hunting. Time spent with her friends and family. Dinner. Talk with Rowan (sometimes more than talking). Sleep. Repeat.

She didn't train the boys in the morning anymore. Being closer to Morath, they had more and more tasks to do each day. Every time she saw one of them, she did stop and talk to them.

She had just finished dinner, so she headed back to her tent where she would meet with Rowan. He insisted on scouting all day. Flying high above and checking the perimeter. He got to skip the morning meetings. She had to admit she was a little jealous about that.

The meetings were trivial at this point. There was already a plan set in stone. They would attack from all sides of Morath while she snuck into the keep to sacrifice herself saving everyone and stopping the war for good. Now, the only thing to discuss was the food amounts or scouting rounds or random tasks that needed to be carried out. Of course, she was required to attend. She should be out there. Hunting, training, teaching others, doing something helpful. Not sitting there discussing what needed to be done. Why talk about what you need to do when you could just be doing it. All of it was pointless.

She fell backwards onto their small mattress. They were so close to marching on Morath. So close to her death. At this point, her days were numbered. They had been for a while. In fact, she could probably count them on her fingers. They were leaving in five days. It would take half a day to get there. They would then rest for two more days before marching out. She did the math in her head. She had exactly eight more days until she would die. Eight more days of life. She would treasure each of them.

After her talk with Rowan, Lysandra, and Aedion, she felt much more sure of herself. It was good knowing that she had their support. She had needed to let her feelings out.

Where was Rowan? It was late and he should be here by now. She heard someone opening the tent. Lysandra stuck her head in. "Aelin, come on. We have a surprise."

She was suspicious. "Like what?"

Lysandra flashed a grin at her that made her even more suspicious... and a little confused. "Like a surprise that's actually a surprise, so I can't tell you about it but I'm sure you'll love it. That kind of suprise."

She rolled her eyes and got up following Lysandra out the tent.

They walked into the forest. She didn't see anything only darkness. "Lysandra, what—"

She was cutoff when two figures jumped out from behind the trees yelling, "Surprise."

Her reflexes quickly kicked in. In no time she sent two fire daggers flying at their heads. They ducked just in time. That's when she realized it was Aedion and Dorian. She ran up to punch the former in the arm. "What the hell. I could have burnt you alive."

Rowan came out from behind another tree and started walking towards her. "I told them that that was a bad idea. By the way, nice reflexes."

He was holding something in his hands that smelt really good. "Rowan, what is that."

He held it out to her. "See for yourself."

She quickly grabbed it from his hands. _Chocolate cake!_

She grabbed a dagger she had kept strapped to her hip and started cutting herself pieces of it. In no time, she had eaten half of it.

Aedion took the dagger from her and cut himself a piece. "Pig, save some for the rest of us."

She stuck her tounge out at in his direction.

Soon they were all sitting at the base of a tree in a circle passing the cake and dagger around.

After she had finished another piece, she asked, "So... why did you get a cake."

Dorian was the one to reply, "We thought you deserved it, so we asked the cook to make it."

"So its a 'going away' cake."

"More like an 'until we meet again cake."

"Oh because that's not the least bit confusing."

They all laughed.

Dorian spoke again, "Do you remember the last time you had chocolate cake?"

She looked down at her lap. "That was not one of my finest moments."

Aedion immediately perked up. "Now you have to tell us."

Dorian continued the story, "Well, at the castle in Adarlan, Aelin had been with Chaol, and they had apparently ordered a bunch of sweets. I had been siting on the floor outside her doorway because I needed to tell her something when I saw her walking towards me with a little bit of what used to be a whole chocolate cake in her hands and chocolate covering her face. She ended up eating the whole thing."

She blushed as everyone started laughing.

Dorian went to speak again, "Oh, you should have seen her during Yulemas. I woke her up that morning to give her a bag full of candy. Later, I was sitting in the church and saw her walk in. She smiled at me and her teeth were blood red."

She went to grab the cake. "Well if you keep telling stories about my eating habits, I'm just going to go ahead and eat the rest of this."

Aedion has started telling the story of how Dorian had once poured tea on her dress when they had first met all those years ago. She wasn't paying attention.

 _Where is the dagger? Oh well._ She started to just use her hands to grab pieces of cake. _Damn, this is amazing._ She was holding a handful of cake to her mouth when Aedion stopped talking, so he could laugh. She didn't understand. What was so funny? Why was everyone looking at her?

Rowan leaned over to whisper in her ear. "You have cake all over your face."

She shrugged and went to wipe her hand to get the chocolate off her face. _No she couldn't waste it._ She brought her hand to her mouth and started licking it clean. _Mhmmm._ "I hope there's chocolate cake wherever I go after I die."

Everyone stopped laughing.

Only Rowan looked her dead in the eyes. "Aelin, you are not going to die."

She smiled at him. "Rowan, you do realize this is a going away party. Plus, I've come to terms with it. I'm ready."

He stared her down. "You're nineteen. You're not ready to die. You haven't even scratched the surface of your immortal life. I'll find another way."

She felt nothing a void where her life used to be. She had truly come to terms with it this time. In order to save millions they must sacrifice one. It's fair more than fair. She was thankful for everything she had already been given. Her family. Aedion, her cousin. No her brother. Aedion was like her big brother. Lysandra and Dorian, her best friends. Rowan, her mate. She would be thankful that she met them in the time she had. Yes, her life was short even for a mortal, but it was full. It was full of good moments and memories. She had lived her life and she was thankful.

She quietly replied to him, "Rowan, we both know there's not another way. I'm okay with it. Yes, I only will have lived nineteen years, but within those nineteen years, I experienced so many good things. I spent the first part of my life with a loving family and Aedion who was always more like my brother than a cousin. I met Lysandra and Dorian, my best friends. I found my mate. I found you, Rowan. I got married. I took over my kingdom and met my subjects. I couldn't be more thankful for the life I've been giving. I would rather live only nineteen years with you all in my life than live a thousand years lonely. I'm ready."

He just shook his head and reached over to hold her hand.

Their eyes met.

She communicated to him the way only they could. _To whatever end._

He replied. _To whatever end._

 **Hey guys. I just looked up and realized I'm on chapter 16. I hope y'all liked the surprise scene. I realized that I hadn't included much of Aelin's friends in the last couple of chapters, so here they are. I already know exactly how I want to end it. I keep on picturing the last couple of chapters I'll write. I'm also for sure that I'll write what happens afterwards. It'll be on this story too. I feel like I keep on dragging to the point of the actual battle. I'm kind of dreading ending it.**

 **Today, I decided that I'd probably miss y'all and miss writing a lot when I ended the story, so I decided to write another one. This is an ACOTAR story. Feyre and Rhys travel back in time to when it all began. I've only published the first chapter, and I'm always horrible at the first chapter. Anyway, please read it and let me know if I should continue it or if the idea and story are total trash.**

 **Ashgibson0381, I've been thinking about reading that book for a while now. Please tell me if it's good once you're done.**

 **—Anna**


	17. The Last Meal

_Aelin:_

She was riding on her horse ahead of the group. They had left their camp a couple of hours ago, and she needed all of her concentration to channel down the well of her magic. In two and a half days, they would launch their attack on Morath. As much as she wanted to spend the time she had left with her friends and family, she needed all of her focus and energy set on gathering up her magic.

As the hours went by, her consciousness started to fade. For normal fae, it took a couple of hours to harness all of their magic, and they couldn't hold it for very long. She couldn't be trusted to not fall off her horse, so she rode on Rowan's sitting in front of him.

He had to remind her to eat and sleep. She had a hard time remembering to do anything with her fire taking up every corner of her mind. She needed rest, but unfortunately she couldn't get any until they arrived. The bouncing of the horses made it hard for her to fall asleep.

She was diving down and down into the well. Once she hit the bottom of one chamber, she would just smash through it and enter another antechamber. When she first started training with Rowan, she had been relieved when she thought she didn't have as much magic as everyone thought. Today, she was learning that the well was bottomless. It went on and on.

When they finally arrived, she was too tired to walk, so Rowan scooped her up and brought her to their tent. "Fireheart, go to sleep."

No, she couldn't go to sleep. There was too much to do. She needed to make sure everything was ready to go, but right now sleep sounded too good. She quickly drifted off.

(Time Skip)

She woke up to find Rowan peering over her. "How long have I been out."

He acted like he was reluctant to tell her. "Two days."

She sat straight up. "That means we're charging on Morath in the morning. I need to make sure everyone's ready. What's happened while I was out?"

"Everything is set. Aedion stepped in and made sure everything is ready to go for tomorrow. You know, you don't have to do this. You can back out. We can charge on Morath tomorrow and find another way."

"No, Rowan. I have to do this. Now, help me up."

It felt like she was carrying weights on her shoulders. Although the resting had relieved some of the stress, she could still feel the intensity of the magic pressuring her.

As they walked out of the tent, she was greeted by smiles and claps. Apparently, everyone was happy to see her awake.

Aedion walked up to them. "It's about time sleeping beauty."

She rolled her eyes. "Ha ha, Aedion. How have things been."

He smiled at her. "Perfectly, everything's been running smoothly. It looks like I'm a natural."

She laughed at him. "Well, I'm going to find some breakfast."

Rowan leaned down to whisper in her ear. "It's almost dinner time."

She looked up at him. _You could have told me that._

Hd looked back at her with amusement in his eyes. _I didn't think it was necessary at that moment. We can go get an early dinner then turn in for the night."_

She nodded.

The cook made them roast beef and potatoes. It was amazing as always. That's when she realized that this would probably be her last meal. She didn't think she would end up eating breakfast in the morning.

Rowan looked at her in confusion. "What's wrong?"

She just shook her head. "Nothing. It's just, this will probably be my last meal. I'm going to miss food."

She stared at her fork longingly.

"Well then we need to celebrate. I'll go find some alcohol. Meet me on the hill overlooking the battlefield in twenty minutes."

She went to the cook and got seconds the made her way towards the hil. It was that odd time between night and day when the sky was grey and the sun was about to set.

She looked down at the giant, empty field separating them from the keep. Tomorrow, the grass would no longer be green. It would be covered by ashes and blood. At least, she wouldn't be around to see who made it and who hadn't. That would be worse than death, knowing that you made it but your loved ones didn't. It would be pure torture. She thought she was going to have a hard time coming to terms with her death, but what about Rowan. He was her mate. He was sworn to protect her, yet he had to go into this willingly knowing that she wouldn't make it back.

Just then, Rowan sat down beside her with a bottle and two cups. He poured the beverage into both handing one to her.

She turned to look at him. "Rowan, don't let your life end with mine. When I fade away, you must live on. Rule my kingdom, build a life somewhere knew. Find someone knew to be happy with."

He just cupped both sides of her face. "Fireheart, you are my life. When you die, I die too. I can't live in a world without you in it. I can't live on without you. I can't find someone knew either. You're the only one. You always have been and always will be the only one."

He leaned his face down towards her until there was nothing between their lips. They kissed as the sun set.

Eventually, she drifted off to sleep. She felt Rowan pick her up and carry her back to their tent where he layed down on the mattress beside her. His arms stayed wrapped around her waist all night holding her against him.

That was one hell of a last night.

 ***Hey guys, I know it's been a while, but I haven't had much inspiration. I've gotten a lot of comments though, so those have been pretty motivating. I'm sorry if this was a little short, but again I didn't have a lot of inspiration.**

 **I added some Rowaelin fluff just because I feel like there might not be some for a while. Sometimes I don't even know what's going to happen next. The words just flow out.**

 **Anyway, go read my other story that I just started. "A repeat". It's been about three days, and I've already gotten a couple likes, follows, and reviews. That's pretty amazing.**

 **So I know this story is close to and end, but I thought it would be cool to have a little quiz on...me.**

 **If you'd like try to answer the following questions:**

 **1\. What is my first, middle, and last name?**

 **2\. What is my favorite color?**

 **3\. How old am I?**

 **4\. What sport do I play?**

 **5\. How many siblings and/or pets do I have?**

 **Have fun trying to answer these. If you don't know, take and educated guess. I'll tell y'all which you got right and wrong.**

 **—Anna**


	18. The Inferno

_Aelin:_

Rowan nudged her in the side. "Aelin, you need to wake up. It looks like the valg are charging sooner than we thought."

She got up and started getting ready. "Rowan, don't die today. Don't let yourself ge killed. My kingdom needs you."

He grabbed her shoulders to turn her towards him. "I can't promise that I'll make it. I might die fighting just like you will..."

He didn't want to say the words out loud. "Die, Rowan. I will die."

She gave him a weak smile and started walking out of their tent until Rowan grabbed her hand and pulled her back towards him. Their lips met. This was it. This would be their last kiss. But damn, it was amazing.

As they parted, Rowan looked into her eyes. "To whatever end."

Aelin looked right back at him. "To whatever end."

They stood around a table in the war tent.

Aedion spoke up from where he was standing opposite of Aelin, "We charge in an hour. Aelin, once the fighting begins, you must skirt the armies then break into the castle."

He pointed to the map that was laying on the table. "Once you kill Erawen, the gods will help you open a portal with the wyrd keys and your remaining life force. They will then send the valg back to their realm, and the war will be over."

Aelin cracked her knuckles. "Well let's get this party started."

Once they walked out, they were greeted by groups of soldiers. Well, she figured she should say something. This was the last time she would see everyone. This was her last grand exit. "Soldiers, we fight today not only for Terrassen but for the world. We avenge the ones we have lost. We rid our lands of this darkness. If we die, we die knowing that our loved ones are safe. We die for a better world. Tomorrow, no one wakes up thinking that this will be their last day. Tonight we pave the way for a new world. Now who's with me?"

Each man and woman lifted their arms and shouted, "For a new world!"

Rowan gave her a look that spoke to her how proud he was then shifted and flew off to communicate their plans with the other leaders.

She went to the armory to stock up with weapons. Even though she wasn't actually fighting in the battle, she still needed to be able to defend herself if someone tried to attack her.

Her assassin suit was already stocked with built-in weapons, so she just strapped Goldyrn to her back, a dagger in her boots and at her waist, and some knives strapped across her chest. She could never be too prepared.

Aelin stood atop the hill and stared out at the two armies. She had said her goodbyes to Lysandra, Aedion, Dorian, and Rowan a while ago. Now they were all out in that field preparing to fight. Rowan and Dorian would be in the front with their magic. With Aedion and Lysandra in the middle. The latter was currently in snow leopard form.

The horn that signaled they needed to charge, boomed across armies and field. The men and valg ran towards each other and clashed together.

It was time for her to go.

She ran down from her spot on the hill and tried to run around the army. Once in a while, a valg would charge at her, but with a swipe of her sword, they were quickly decapitated. Sometimes she would climb a tree and jump from limb to limb. Anything to get to the keep as quickly as possible. The longer she took, the everyone would be fighting.

In no time, she reached her destination and killed those guarding the doors. She picked the look and charged into the foyer. Now it was only the matter of finding Erawen.

The sconces on the wall were out, so the halls were pitch black. She needed all of her magic to take down Erawen and open the portal, so she couldn't risk using her fire to light up the way.

For some reason, she knew exactly where to go. It felt as if there was a string pulling her to where she needed to go. She figured it was Mala's way of helping her.

From what she could see in the darkness, Morath was an ornate place. The tiles were filled with weaving designs. The doorways were arched and decorated. The walls had paintings of mountains just like the ones that surrounded it. Too bad such a beautiful place was occupied by someone or something so cold. It was her turn to unocuppy it.

She snuck through the halls quietly in an attempt to not alert anyone to her presence. Two voices rounded the corner in front of her. Before they saw her, she ran into the nearest rooom. With her ear pressed to the door, she tried to decipher what they were saying.

"I was just outside and saw them fighting. They had a lot of soldiers, but most of them were human. Nothing we can't handle."

"Any sign of the fire bringer?"

"No, but I can't imagine that she wouldn't be out there. It would be stupid for her to come here. She has to preserve her _precious_ blood line."

"Once this is all over she won't stand a chance. She will fall just like her kingdom did. Even the brightest candle can be snuffed out with enough darkness."

They shared a dark chuckle and walked further down the hall, then turned a corner.

She laughed to herself. They thought she was a candle, but no, she was an inferno. And she was heading straight for them.

 ***Hey guys. I'm so sorry I haven't posted in a while. I've been experiencing a little bit of writers block. If you've ever written and felt like this, you'll know it's horrible. Whenever I tried to write, the words just didn't come out. It's a very odd feeling. I hope this is everything you've been waiting for. I start school on Monday, so after that, it'll be hard to post, but I'll try to get another chapter out before then.**

 **I want to say thank you to booknblaur459. The pm you sent me was just what I needed. This chapter would not be here without you, so thank you thank you thank you!**

 **By the way, I updated my bio, so the answers to my little quiz should be somewhere in there if you still want to try. I've also decided to put my best fan/reader on my 'amazing people on FanFiction' list. It's at the bottom of my bio. I'll put whoever I think is the best fan/reader on the list once I finish the story.**

 **—Anna**


	19. The Face Off

Lysandra:

She was fighting by Aedion's side as he shouted orders to those around him. It was and endless blood bath. She would use her teeth and claws to kill one valg only to move onto the next. Over and over and over again. Claw, bite, claw, bite. Eventually she just drowned out the sounds of fighting around her. The only thing she could do was keep pushing forward and hope that Aelin would put an end to this before there was no one else left to save.

 _Rowan:_

 _Why did he do it?_ That was the question he kept asking himself. _Why did he let his mate go all alone? Why didn't he go with her? Why didn't he try to stop her?_ With every swipe of his sword and blast of magic he asked himself this. Why?

Did he want to respect her wishes? Did he want to save their kingdom? Did he want to pretend that she wasn't planning on dying for him and their friends? Why?

Why wasn't he there for her now? He wasn't there when she was captured. He wasn't there when her best friend died. He wasn't there when she was whipped in Endovier. He wasn't there when Arobynn tortured her and called it training. He wasn't there when she lost her whole family.

She suffered through all of that alone. Through all of the pain, he wasn't there.

Now, she was planning on dying alone to save everyone. No. He would not let that happen. He would go in there and save her even if it destroyed him. He would make sure she lived a long happy life. He would make sure she was never alone again.

Rowan Whitethorn Galathynius cut his way through the fighting and ran faster than he had ever run in his long immortal existence. He ran to save his mate.

 _Aelin:_

As the men walked out of earshot, she came out of her hiding place and krept down the dark hall. In no time, she came upon her destination. The room was brightly lit with sconces hanging every few feet on the wall and an enormous chandelier hanging from the ceiling. Just under it, there was a throne that looked as if it was carved out of stone from the mountains that surrounded it. It would have been beautiful if not for the demon sitting atop it. Erawen.

Although it was only them two, she still unsheathed her sword and kept it out in front of her in a defensive stance.

She felt the keys weighting down in her pocket.

"Well, what a pleasant surprise we have here. Has Brannon's heir come to beg for her life? How unbecoming of you." He tapped his fingers one by one against the armrests.

"My life is rather trivial in the matter, so no. No begging, but I do have a proposition." She grinned up at him.

He leaned foreword in his chair. "Hmm. Well now I'm rather intrigued. Go on."

"You can either let me send you back to where you came from without lifting a finger or you can put up a fight and I'll still send you back. The choice is yours."

He responded by summoning dark magic to his fingers.

"Well, I gave you an option."

"WAIT!"

They both turned to look at the person who screamed.

Rowan was running towards her. "Aelin, I'm not letting you die."

"It's a little too late for this conversation now, Rowan," she growled.

He only put his hands on her arms. "Don't fight him. Don't leave me."

Before she could respond, Erawen sent a blast of his magic spiraling for them. It sent them flying to opposite sides of the room.

He walked over to where she landed and bent down to look at her. "Any last words before I put you out of your misery?"

At that moment she heard a voice whisper into her head. Mala. _It's time. Do it know._

I turned my head to face where Rowan had landed. "I love you."

Then, she reached down and channeled every single last drop of her magic. She broke through every wall. She dove into her life force and used magic from the keys. With every single last bit of her existence, she erupted. She sent fire exploding into the world banishing the valg back to their realm. Every single pocket of the universe was filled with her magic.

And then... nothing.

 ***Hey guys. I just looked back and read the ending and realized that y'all must be dying now. Don't worry though. I'm not done yet. I repeat, this is not the ending. Next chapter will be changing through even more characters' povs. Stay tuned.**

 **Also, just think about this for a second. Rowan just watched his mate die in front of his eyes and couldn't do a thing about it. He went into shut down after Lyria and he never saw her die plus they weren't mates. How will he react seeing his actual MATE die? The court of Terrassen just lost their queen. Their savior. Just imagine all of the feels going around right now.**

 **;) Sorry, I'm just torturing y'all now.**

 **By the way, I'm also sorry for making y'all wait so long for another chapter. I had honestly lost track of time. Has it seriously been 10 DAYS. Wow, that's bad. So sorry. Please forgive me for that... and for the ending to this chapter.**

 **I promise everything will get better just stay tuned. Also, I'm going to try to work on my other FanFiction "A Repeat" more, so if you need something to read while you wait for the next chapter or KoA, go check that out. It's been up for about half the time this story has been around and it already has more likes and follows, so that's the most amazing thing ever.**

 **Anyway, sorry for the cliffhanger(s) and the wait. (And for this long author's note)**

 **— Anna**


	20. The Strength of Three Words

_Aedion_ :

The soldiers were beginning to tire when a massive _BOOM!_ shook the earth. Fire exploded out of the keep and surrounded them. It was like a massive volcanoe had erupted. When it cleared, all of the valg had disappeared. _Aelin..._ Just then he heard a sobbing to his right and turned around to find Lysandra having fallen to her knees with tears streaming down her face.

Aedion knelt down in front of her and folded her into his arms. She buried her face into his shoulder as she cried.

In between tears and hiccups, she managed to get out two words. The two words that he had been dreading to hear. "She's dead."

It all became too real. While at camp, he had been able to ignore the fact that Aelin had to die. He was able to trick himself into believing that they would win and all live happily ever after. There was only one problem, happily ever afters didn't exist. The fantasy's where people rode into the sunset on a white horse and lived out the rest of their days in peace, they were just that, fantasies. This was reality, and in reality, there was no white horses or sunsets. Their was no peace or happily ever afters. There was just death and sorrow. _Sorrow._ That was what raged through his body after hearing those to words. There would be no happily ever after because she was dead.

He managed to get to his feet pulling Lysandra up with him. "We have to get to them. I can't imaging what Rowan must be feeling right now."

She knodded and, they started running towards the keep dreading what they knew they would find when they got there.

 _Rowan:_

She turned to him and said her last words before exploding. Three words that would be imprinted in his mind forever. Every turn he took from there on out, those three words would be haunting him. Every morning, he would wake up with those three words on his lips. His mate's last words: _I love you._

He got up and walked towards the body that couldn't be Aelin's. _Aelin's not dead. Aelin's not dead. Aelin's not dead._ He repeated the words over and over as he slowly approached the body hoping they would make the truth any less real.

But then he saw her face. The face he saw when he went to sleep. The face that was in every dream. The face he woke up to.

The lips he he once kissed were rested atop one another. The eyes that communicated to him more than words ever could were shut. The hands that pulled him out of his darkest places were rested by her side. The legs that chased him when all he wanted was to be alone. No. He thought he had wanted to be alone. The truth was, he had only been waiting for Aelin save him from his misery and despair.

Now, he would never see those lips smile. He would never look into those blue eyes with a ring of gold fire. He would never feel the comfort of her hand in his. He would never chase after those beautiful legs.

It was over.

Rowan fell to the ground and cried over his mate. He whispered the words back to her, "I love you too."

One could never comprehend the strength that three little words could hold. Those three words could tear you apart and put you back together again and again. They could be your salvation or a death sentence.

Those three little words had had built him up. Piece by peace. Now, they were tearing him back down again.

 _Aedion:_

He and Lysandra arrived in the throne room to find Rowan crying over her body.

Aedion walked over and placed a hand on his king's shoulder. "Rowan, we have to take her back to camp. The soldiers deserve to know what happened to their queen."

He didn't respond but rather scooped her up and started walking out the door.

As the doors clicked shut behind Rowan, Lysandra turned to him with hands over had mouth and tears in her eyes. "What are we going to do without her? She was my best friend."

Once again, he walked over and embraced her rubbing his hand up and down her back in and attempt to soothe her. "It'll be okay. We'll all miss her and grieve in our own way, but we all have each other."

He pulled back to look into her eyes. "You'll always have me."

He reached up and wipped away each tear as they streamed down her face. At that moment, things became clear to him. He was in love with this woman. Through the pain of losing his cousin, he would always stick beside her.

They walked out of the room hand in hand to face what was waiting for them when they confronted the troops with their beloved queen's dead body.

 ***Hey guys. I hoped y'all liked this chapter. It's kind of a filler to lead into the next chapter. I promise there's more to come. Please don't stop reading this just because Aelin is dead *wink*.**

 **Once again, I have neglected my stories, and I'm absolutely sorry. Life is just life. It's difficult, annoying, and just downright crappy sometimes. School and volleyball always come before my duties to write. Sometimes I wish I could spend all day just sitting down and writing, but between school, homework, games, practices, and of course sleeping. I've literally had no freetime whatsoever. This was one of the only times in the past two weeks I've been able to sit down and dedicate my time to writing.**

 **I know it may take me a while to update, but please just stay with me. Again, comments and encouragement always help.**

 **Ps. I will try to update my other story "A Repeat" as soon as possible for those of you who have been waiting for that. I'm trying to finish this story, so I can focus on the other one a little more.**

 **—Anna**


	21. Fire Always Prevails

_Rowan:_

The soldiers were back at camp rejoicing in their hard earned victory. They had all gambled the biggest thing they could, their lives, and they won.

Some weren't so lucky. Rowan was holding one person who lost the gamble in his arms. His mate. Their queen. Aelin.

Mannon, Dorian, Chaol, and all of the other leaders were waiting for them by the raised platform. They each had looks of pure happiness and triumph on their faces. Apparently they forgot about the person they lost. How could they be so stupid and not remember that Aelin died.

Mannon—not missing anything—was the first to notice the one person we were missing. She leaned over to whisper the news to Dorian who immediately turned to look at Rowan, or rather who he was holding, in shock.

As Dorian went on to tell the rest of the group, Mannon slowly approached him and leaned over to whisper something, "How did she go?"

He managed to form words and whisper back. "She fought until the end."

She nodded. "Then she died with honor. Just like any good soldier."

They both shared a look of understanding.

Rowan walked up the stairs that led to the platform with Aedion, Lysandra, and the rest of the group following. He layed Aelin's body on a table in view of everyone in the field. The reaction was slow at first, some people turned and noticed their dead queen. Then, whispers started going around, and soon enough everyone was facing them.

He stepped forward and addressed the crowd. "Soldiers of Erilea, we may have beat the demons, but we still suffer a major defeat. Queen Aelin Ashyrver Galathynius lays here before us after sacrificing herself to save all of your lives. She gave up a thousand years with those that she loved so that all of you could live in peace. No matter what some of you may think, she never once gave up on any of you. You say that she lived amongst riches in Adarlan, but no. She had gone to hell and back during those years. Her people criticized her and everyone doubted her yet... she never gave up hope. She still loved you all. Her people. She fought and died for all of you even though no one believed in her.

 _Mala:_

I watched as the prince of ice made his speech about their savior. My heir.

She was too young. She didn't deserve to die. This was all decided long before any of them had a say. None of them deserved it.

In that moment, the Goddesses of fire decided to make things right."

 _Rowan: (continues speech from where he left off.)_

I have lived hundreds of years and never met anyone so determined, compassionate, loyal, and strong as Aelin. So in my mate, our friend, and your Queen's memory, we must push forward and build a better future that Aelin had always believed in. Through our grief and loss, we must—" He was cut off by a voice he never thought he would hear again.

"Why does everyone looks so damn gloomy. Did someone die?"

He spun around and was met with his mate's blue and gold eyes.

 _Aelin:_

After she had died, there was nothing. She though she'd get to see her parents, her uncle, Nehemia, and Sam, but She was met with complete darkness instead. The black void around her was like a sludge. She tried to move. Tried to go back to the surface where she knew her family was, but she was stuck in place. Then, she heard someone whisper to her. "They need you. You're time is not up."

There was a bright light and she was able to swim back to the surface.

When she opened her eyes again, she looked at everyone's tear covered faces. Oh this was too good to pass up. "Why is everyone so damn gloomy. Did someone die?"

As soon as the words left her lips, she was crushed in a back-breaking hug. She wrapped her arms around his neck and breathed in the pine and snow scent of her mate. "All of that worrying about my life over nothing. You should listen to me more often. I'm always right."

He pulled back and looked at me. _You still died._

I looked right back at him with amusement in my eyes. _Do I look dead to you?"_

 _Fine you were right._

 _Come again. I didn't get that._

 _Aelin, you were right._

 _One more time, death really messes with your hearing._

He just rolled his eyes and kissed her. The best thing was, it felt like her fist kiss since she had technically been dead.

They heard a cough nearby and broke apart. Aedion walked towards them. "You know we're all standing right here. Get a room." She grinned and walked over to give him and Lysandra hugs too.

He pulled back and grinned back at her. "Nice to have you back."

She started walking to the stage. On the way over, she stopped and looked over her shoulder to say one last thing to him. "I guess the world just needed another grand enterance." She smirked and continued walking until she was standing in front of all the soldiers.

With Rowan at her side and the rest of her court and family at her back, she addressed the crowd. "As you all now know, I am no longer dead. For whatever reason, I was brought back, and I believe it was because I was meant to lead you all to a better future. Now, everyon, let's go celebrate for our victory and a better future.

(Time skip)

Aelin was sitting beside Rowan with his arm wrapped around her shoulder. Across from them was Dorian and Mannon sitting close together and Aedion who was holding Lysandra's hand.

It looked like everyone got a happy ending.

They were sitting in a tent together while everyone else was out celebrating.

Aelin grabbed the alcohol and poured everyone another drink and raised her glass. "What can I say. Fire always prevails."

They each raised their glasses and Aedion said, "Let's drink to that. Fire always prevails."

Their glasses clinked together, and they spent the rest of their night that way. Drinking and laughing together as a family. It was true. She would spend the rest of her immortal life making memories with her family. Fire always prevails.

 ***I can't believe it. This is the last chapter. It's honestly hard to believe. Thank you to all of those who have believed in me. Especially to those who have been here with me since day 1 of the story. I think I've developed so much as a writer and none of this would have happened without y'all amazing people, so thank you.**

 **This story has truly come a long ways. I started out just publishing 300 word chapters and now I've got 1000-2000 word chapters with a bunch of supporting followers. That's truly amazing. Ahhh. I'm almost to tears now.**

 **Well here we go. I'll respond to some comments.**

 **Sansriti: Now that this story is finished, I will try to post chapters more often for "a repeat".**

 **Guest: that sounds like and amazing idea. I will definitely try to do that. Maybe after I finish my other story. Thanks!**

 **Booknblaur: It broke me too. T-T**

 **L.C.Hobbs-Dubois: As you just read she does come back. I'm so glad you love this story.**

 **Guest: I'm sorry to here that. Thanks for the criticism. If you continue reading, I think you will find that I've developed as a writer through this experience, and my writing grows when you keep on reading. Please don't give up on it just yet.**

 **MFOe2: I'm sorry, but I didn't understand your review.**

 **Guest: I'm honestly really anxious for Kingdom of Ash to come out. I'm so glad you like my writing. And thank you. One of the hardest parts about writing is trying to bring the characters to life and to get their personalities right, so I'm honored you feel that I do that.**

 **Thank you to all of the people who have supported me and continued to read this story. Please go read my other story "A Repeat." It is just getting started, and I already have high hopes for it. I think y'all will like it too.**

 **—Anna**


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